Control
by TombRaiderNinja
Summary: In a world ruled by technology, survival for a ten-year-old-gone-rogue isn't easy. Most of all if there's an entity calling itself The Overlord aiming to take over your one and every thought. In a quest to regain control over his mind, Lloyd recruits others with powers not unlike his own. Ninjago AU
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Lloyd moved through the streets at a quick pace, fleeing from shadow to shadow in an expert manner. A gust of cool wind made him shiver, and he tightened his hood around his face. He turned down the alley before him, hoping to find some sort of shelter.

Strong hands squeezed down on his shoulders, forcing him to turn around. Lloyd's body spun, stumbling backwards. A man with foul breath and scarred skin smiled mockingly at him. "What's a kid like you doing out so late? Isn't it far past your bed time?"

"What's it to you?" Lloyd spat back. He crossed his arms, and took a couple of steps away from the man.

Lloyd's back crashed against another body. He stumbled away from the second man, eyes flitting back and forth between the two. The second man was the first to speak again. "It's dangerous to travel alone at night, you know?"

"I don't have any money." Lloyd lied swiftly, backing up against one of the alley's walls. "You're wasting your time."

"I'm sure someone would pay decent ransom for you. A worried mother, perhaps?"

"Fat chance," Lloyd pouted. He hadn't seen his mother in a _long_ time.

The men moved closer to him, causing bells of adrenaline to ring throughout his mind. A familiar feeling ran through him, making his small hands curl into tight fists. Lloyd tried to stay focused, to keep from releasing the rattling energy bouncing within him. The effort made his body shake.

"Aww, you're scaring the kid," the first man said, but there was no actual concern in his voice. "He's going to cry."

"I'm not crying," Lloyd assured them. "But you two might, if you don't leave me alone."

"Tough threat coming from a pipsqueak," one of the men said, but Lloyd couldn't pinpoint which. His vision blurred. "What are you going to do? Throw a temper tantrum?"

"Stop messing around and just grab him. He'll be worth _something_."

A rough grip tightened around Lloyd's arm. The kid growled, trying to pull away, but the man was far stronger. The men laughed, causing Lloyd's focus to shift into anger. The control he had snapped.

One by one, the streetlights burst, dumping the three figures into a thick darkness.

"What in the-" The man never finished his sentence. A patch of darkness peeled itself from the ground, hurling him back. His head cracked loudly against the concrete. In an instant, his consciousness slipped.

The remaining man looked back at the kid. A thin purple aura pulsed around his body, and his eyes glowed with the same light. Shaking with fear, the man turned on his heels and ran. Before he could reach the alley's end, the shadows beneath him gripped onto his feet. The man stumbled and fell. With a constant whimpering, he tried to crawl away.

The darkness was unforgiving as it wrapped around his body, trapping him in place, making it impossible to breathe. Before the man's mind dipped into a forced slumber, he managed to mutter in fear. "Wh-What _are_ you?"

Lloyd didn't answer. The man's eyes shuddered to a close.

"They better not be dead," Lloyd sighed, trying to ignore how _awesome_ the power had felt.

A deep, somewhat static filled voice responded inside his head. _They are not dead, but they should be. They have seen you, and they will talk_.

"I'm not _killing_ anyone," Lloyd said. "Besides, it's not like anyone is going to believe them."

 _At least allow me to search their memories,_ _They might know something useful_.

"Fine. But only because you asked nicely."

 _I won't always need to ask permission to do as I wish_.

Lloyd did his best to ignore the voice's last statement as he kneeled beside one of the men. After a couple of seconds to prepare for what was to come, Lloyd pressed his hand against the man's dirty forehead.

A jolt of energy made him jump, but he kept his hand in place. Memories ran through his mind, experiences that weren't his own, moments he had no business being part of, but they scrolled through too fast to make much of a lasting impression.

The visions dissipated, as they caught up with the man's present. Then they began to move back, before freezing upon a specific scene.

 _Here is what you need._ The voice in his head said. _They might be able to help us._

Lloyd shut his eyes, fully focusing on the images before him.

 _"It isn't as impossible as you might think, sneaking something into Kryptarium prison." The man before seemed to hold a permanent smirk in his features, as if he was aware of a very amusing secret no one else knew. His dark brown hair was styled into gravity defying spikes, which would have been ridiculous on anyone other than him. "We'll help you get this to your friend."_

 _"For a price of course," This time, the voice belonged to a young woman. Her hair was wild and black, roughly pulled up into a ponytail. Streaks of grease dirtied her cheeks. "This won't be cheap at all_."

Lloyd blinked himself out of the memory, moving his hand away from the man. As usual, it took his mind a couple of moments to settle on his reality. "How am I supposed to find them? They didn't even say their names!"

 _The grease mark on the girl's skin._

"A mechanic?" Lloyd stood. "Okay, that's _something_ , but there's still dozens of mechanics in the city."

 _It is a start_ , _nonetheless_.

"I guess it is." Lloyd's mouth widened into a yawn. "Better get moving then."

* * *

" _Don't_ move."

Jay froze on the spot obediently. His eyes flickered over to his friend, who stood a few feet in front of him, peeking down an alley.

"What's going on?" Jay tried to make his voice as soft as possible, but the sound still felt loud in the silence. "Cole?"

" _Shh!_ " Cole scolded. Jay pressed his lips shut.

Seconds ticked forward. Jay's curiosity burned within him, but the fear for whatever Cole was worried about kept him quiet. Cole watched the alley, his eyes frowning at the child, and the bizarre lines of darkness that seem to emanate from within him.

Cole was tempted to move closer, to get a better look. It wasn't as if they would _see_ him. No one ever did. Well, no one other than Jay. It was one of the obnoxious yet useful perks of being a ghost.

The look in his friend's eyes, however, kept him rooted to the spot. If Cole went out of Jay's sight, the man would surely freak. So Cole waited, relaxing only when the child moved away into the street. He lowered his hand, and Jay let out a loud, shaky breath.

"What happened? What did you see?" Jay stepped closer, frowning at the shadows slumped on the floor of the alley. "Whoa. Are those guys dead?"

"I don't know." Cole shrugged. "And I don't know what I saw either. It looked like a kid but. . . Something felt wrong about him. He had some. . . weird shadow things coming out of him."

"Are you serious?" Jay stepped into the alley, the bag slung over his shoulder jingling with every step. "Cole! Maybe he was like us?"

To emphasize his point, Jay flicked his arm, causing a wave of electric sparks to entwine around it. He used the light they provided to examine the two guys. A frozen look of fear sat on each of their faces, but their chests moved with the rise and fall of breath. Jay let the sparks die out slowly, before standing.

"Trust me Jay, powers or no powers, that kid did _not_ look friendly."

"Still! He could have had. . . I don't know, answers of some kind." Jay returned to the path he'd been on, walking slow as he talked. "I mean, I'm not complaining about having _powers_ but. . . I'd like to know why."

"Let's just get home. Your parents will be worried if you don't show up soon."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah."

They moved through the streets, with Cole in front and Jay hanging behind. His mind was heavy with thoughts and questions. They looped around one another, but no matter how crazed and complex they became, it all returned back to the same basic idea.

 _Who_ am _I_?

The question had plagued him for years now, ever since his bizarre control over electricity had decided to go haywire: blocking, jumbling, and twisting most of his memories. Heck, Jay couldn't even remember _when_ he'd become best friends with a ghost. Cole was in some memories, and not in others, but his mind wasn't coherent enough to make a proper timeline.

"You think we should tell Kai and Nya about the kid?" Jay suggested. Maybe one of them would be curious enough to look into it, and Jay could innocently tag along.

"I told you, Jay, the kid felt _dangerous_." Cole shook his head. "We should just forget about it. Whatever that was, we don't want any part in it. Trust me."

"Forget! Ha, there's something I'm good at." Jay said with a pouty grimace.

Together, they strolled into a large junkyard. Jay spilled the contents of his bag into one of the many piles of junk, then moved through the jungle of objects with awkward movements. Cole moved straight through every obstacle, looking back at Jay with a mocking smirk.

"Wait _up_." Jay hissed. His shirt caught on one of the stray metal wires, causing him to momentarily stumble back. With a frustrated growl, Jay tugged, ripping the fabric. "Seriously! Again!?"

Cole laughed. "You'd think you'd learn to be a little more patient, Speedy."

Jay ignored Cole's words, focusing instead on the rip his shirt had gained. It wasn't too large, but he still didn't look forward to stitching it back together. Needles weren't exactly the best tool for shaky fingers.

"I'm back!" Jay announced in a chipper tone, bursting through the door of the small trailer he called home.

"You're back late," his father pointed out. "Anything worth reporting?"

"Yeah, we met a demon child that your son wants to befriend and question," Cole answered, but his ghostly voice was only picked up by Jay's ears.

Jay did his best to ignore it. "Not really. Spent the day with Nya, fixing stuff for people. Pretty average."

"I hope you aren't helping them with their. . . _other_ business again, Jay." His mom looked up at her son, putting down her tools and pushing aside a small metal object, whose purpose Jay couldn't guess. "I don't want you in any trouble."

"Of _course_ not, ma!" Jay protested. "I wouldn't! You know me."

"Wait, didn't you help Nya program a key to hack into any door?" Cole pointed out. "Tsk, tsk, Jay. That doesn't sound very legal to _me_."

"Well I'm glad to hear it. You want me to heat up dinner for you?"

"No, it's okay. I ate with them. But thanks! I think I'm going to go to bed. I'm feeling a little run down."

"Not going overboard with those abilities of yours, are you?"

"Oh, Edna, the boy knows what he's doing." His father piped in. "Don't ya, son?"

"I'm just _worried_ about him, Ed."

"It's okay ma, I'm careful, I promise."

Edna nodded slowly, accepting her son's answer. "Well good night then."

"Night!"

With a bright smile and a short wave, Jay stepped into his room, shutting the door behind him. He then leaned back against it, slowly sliding onto the floor. Jay sat still for a moment, before frantically crawling forward and reaching under his bed.

"What are you doing?" Cole asked, making his body solid enough to rest on the ground.

"I'm!" Jay smirked, pulling out a battered cell phone. He pulsed a bit of electricity into the battery, bringing the screen to life. "Calling Nya. And telling her about the kid."

"Jay! I said don't."

"And I say boo on you." Jay replied, sticking his tongue out and dialing the number.

* * *

"That was Jay," Nya said, after clicking away from the call. She dropped the phone onto their one and only work table, before slumping down onto a chair. "He says he saw someone else with powers."

Her brother's eyes snapped up. "Seriously? What power? What did he look like?"

"He. . ." Nya grimaced. "He says he didn't get to see him. His little ghost friend stopped him from doing so. But that it seemed like he controlled darkness or something."

"Ah," Kai looked back down at the tablet in his hands. He scrolled through the profits they'd made for the day, transferring a small amount of the funds to Jay's own account. "His little ghost friend."

"I know you think Jay's crazy, but what if it's true?" Nya's voice was filled with excitement. "What if there's more of us? Maybe this is just. . . Natural evolution."

"Or maybe all those little sparks Jay uses finally fried his brain."

Nya rolled her eyes. "Right, whatever, but what _if_."

"If there were more of us, don't you think someone would have said something by now? Or done something? _Anything_."

"Maybe they're scared they're the only ones too. And they don't want ECHO to lock them up and use them as another science experiment." Nya shrugged. "Before Jay, we thought _we_ were the only ones."

Kai bit his lip. He knew his sister had a point, but part of him didn't want to believe it. The more people with powers, the less special he became.

When he had first discovered his ability to create and control flames, Kai had been ecstatic. Part of him had _always_ believed he was unique, one way or the other. He was going to be just like the heroes he'd grown up reading about. The chosen one.

And then, Nya had discovered abilities of her own. Kai's ego had deflated, but only slightly. After all, Nya _was_ his sister. It made sense. They shared the same blood. It would be them against the world.

Then Jay had come around with his silly sparks and dominion over lightning itself. Not to mention his so-called ghost friend, who could grant Jay super strength and control over the earth through the odd act of possession.

Now. . . this.

So instead of granting Nya's thoughts a bit of validation, he shook his head. "I really doubt Jay saw something. He used his powers a lot today, his brain was probably glitching out."

"Yeah," Nya's face fell, and Kai felt a pang of guilt. "Probably."

* * *

Above the darkened alley where the two unconscious thugs still lay, a lone figure studied the scene.

Zane's eyes analyzed every shape and shadow patiently, searching for. . . _something_.

A strange and sudden urge had propelled him out of his bed and towards the window minutes before, and he'd been standing still since then. He couldn't put a finger on the feeling, he only knew there was something he had to do, something he'd _always_ had to do, and had somehow forgotten.

But what?

Zane couldn't say.

With a resigned sigh, he stepped away from the window. He returned to the bed, it being the only piece of furniture in the small room. Zane shut his eyes, trying to focus on recapturing the sudden and overwhelming feeling of purpose.

But it had gone, leaving nothing but the usual emptiness behind.

It was beyond frustrating.

For as long as he could remember, Zane had lived day by day, working enough to assure he would have living quarters, and talking only to whoever he absolutely had to. Zane didn't think he was unhappy.

At times, Zane had found himself wondering about the past. His oldest memory only went back to waking up in the Birchwood forest, with nothing more than a name in his head and the clothes on his back.

But this was nothing more than a simple desire for explanation. Plain curiosity. He didn't feel any longing or sadness towards whatever he'd lost.

Up until now.

Whatever had dragged him to the window, had woken something in him. The urgent need was gone, but it had left a wide void behind, one that Zane was eager to fill. With a determined look, Zane stood, then headed out the door.

He would search for as long as he had to. The desire to find the lost feeling blocked all other thoughts, moving his body forward at a steady pace.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Garmadon sat on his bed, leaning against the gray wall of his cell. His eyes were shut, ears finely tuned to the world around him. He could hear nothing out of the ordinary. Things moved like perfect clockwork in Kryptarium prison. Just as they had for the past ten years.

Any second now, an odd pair of footsteps would join the rest, moving with more power and confidence than the usual forced shuffle of the guards. The steps would stop before his door, which would ultimately swing open to reveal the last person he wanted to see, who was also unfortunately the only person he _did_ see.

"Right on time as always, brother." Garmadon smirked to himself when the sound of his brother approaching reached his ears. He remained sitting, even keeping his eyes closed as the door swung open. It shut again seconds later, sealing them both inside.

"Garmadon," his brother spoke. "You've got a letter from Lloyd."

Garmadon's eyes snapped open, reacting to the only name that still held any value for him. His brother held out a small, wrinkled envelope, which he snatched greedily. "If that's going to be all, Wu, I'd prefer it if you left me alone."

Instead of walking out, Wu moved forward, leaning against the edge of Garmadon's bed. "How _is_ Lloyd?"

"So you _don't_ snoop through the letters? Well that's a nice surprise."

"Of course I don't." Wu tried to keep his tone light, to entice his brother into striking a proper conversation. "Now, are you going to tell me how my nephew is?"

"No."

"Truly?"

"Yes." Garmadon made a show of shoving the unopened letter under his pillow. "You didn't show any concern for him before, when you decided the best course of action was to stick his father in a prison cell. You don't deserve to know anything about him."

"You left us no choice, Garmadon." Wu stood, frowning down at his brother. He could feel his façade of calm shaking into frustration. Every week, Garmadon pushed him away with bitter words and shortened sentences. And yet, every week Wu returned, wanting nothing more than to reach his brother. "After what you did to Ninjago, you couldn't have expected to walk away without any sort of consequence."

"Right. Yeah. What _I_ did to Ninjago." Garmadon scowled deeply, then shut his eyes again.

Wu tried to search for the right words, but there simply were none. With a sigh, he shook his head, moving back towards the door. Before signaling the guards to open, he turned back towards his brother one last time. "I miss you, you know. As my brother."

Garmadon remained silent. The door opened, then shut.

"Yeah well, I don't," he said to the empty room, reaching back under the pillow to retrieve Lloyd's letter. He held the envelope in his hands, studying the handwriting. The letters were large, but neat. And they made his heart ache.

Gently, he ripped the side of the envelope, tugging the folded notebook paper out and onto his hand. Hands shaking ever so slightly, Garmadon read.

 _Dad-_

 _Thank you for the jacket you sent for my birthday. It's big, but I like it._

 _Something really bad happened. I need to talk to you. I know you'll know how to fix this. It's the weird voice I told you about before. But it's getting worse. And I did something. And I can't go back to school now._

 _I know you'll say it's crazy, but I'm going to get you out. Then you'll help me right?_

 _Don't worry about me! I have a plan (Kind of)_

 _Hopefully see you soon?_

 _LLOYD_

 _P.S. Obviously don't send a letter back. Just wait for me._

Garmadon read through the letter again. And again.

He let it drop to his side, a strong feeling of worry bubbling up in his stomach. He had absolutely no idea what his son was planning. He wasn't too sure he wanted to know. Whatever it was, it was bound to end very badly.

And the other part. The part about the voice. Lloyd _had_ mentioned it once or twice before, but Garmadon had waved it away as the wild imaginations of a child. Now he wasn't so sure.

 _Something really bad happened._

Garmadon hopped out of his bed, and began pacing around the cramped cell. Theories flew through his stressed mind, all equally likely. All equally terrifying.

He feared a piece of his muddled past had returned to haunt him, using the only person he still loved to hitch a ride.

* * *

"Aren't you a little young to be on your own, kid?"

Lloyd frowned up at the cashier, holding up a thin blue card. "Does that matter? I want food, and I have the credits to pay for it."

The cashier stared down at him for a couple of seconds, before giving a shrug and taking the card from his hand. As always, Lloyd tensed as she scanned it, expecting something to alert the cashier that the credits he was using were stolen. Forcibly hacked from others' accounts through the manipulation of the voice in his head.

As always, nothing happened.

Lloyd took the food, quickly exiting the small restaurant and almost running through the streets. He stopped at a small, sorry excuse for a park. The grass was yellowed and dried, and the few trees still standing had scarce leaves still clinging to their branches.

 _After this, you will continue your search. Do you not want to free your father?_

"Of course I do," Lloyd said, comfortable with speaking aloud in the lonely setting. He sat cross-legged on one of the benches. "But I have to eat."

The voice didn't respond, so Lloyd continued talking in between bites. "So we've checked two of the mechanics in the city. Neither of them had the people from the memories, so that leaves only one, right?"

 _Yes. On the corner of 21_ _st_ _and Union. Not very popular_

"That's so far." Lloyd pouted, rubbing his small legs. "I'm tired of walking."

 _It would be more efficient to steal a vehicle._

Lloyd looked up. A couple of self-driven vehicles zoomed through the street. "I guess so."

Once the food was finished, Lloyd forcibly shoved it into an overflowing trashcan, then began walking down the streets, eyes searching for a target. The few people walking around the city eyed him with concern and curiosity, but Lloyd ignored them, moving just fast enough to keep them from questioning him.

 _There._

Lloyd's head snapped to the side, the movement forced by the voice in his head. His eyes spotted a half-filled parking lot. He rubbed his neck to usher away the weird sensation of being controlled, before heading over to it.

He walked with confidence, heading to the vehicle best hidden from curious eyes. After making sure there was no one near, Lloyd pressed the palm of his hand against the door.

For a moment, his fingertips burned. Pools of darkness outlined his hand, and he was suddenly aware of the inner workings of the vehicle. Then the connection snapped, and the door slid open. Lloyd hopped inside, letting the door shut behind him.

He repeated the process, this time pressing his hand against the vehicle's control panel. The words _21_ _st_ _and Union_ flashed on the screen, and the motor shuddered to life with a soft shudder.

"How _do_ you do that?" Lloyd finally asked, moving away his hand and falling onto one of the seats. "What else can you do?"

 _There are no limits to my power._

"Then why don't me and you just break dad out? I mean, couldn't you just hack into the system and bam! Open his cell?"

 _My power is unlimited, but your body is not. You could be easily overpowered. Unless. . ._

"No. You don't get full control _ever_ again." Lloyd's mind flashed to his last moments in his boarding school. His friend's wide, fearful eyes. The suffocating sensation of having absolutely no control. Lloyd shook his head.

 _Your strength grows weaker, while mine grows stronger. It would all be far more simple if you_ let go.

" _No_ ," Lloyd hissed. " _You're_ the one in _my_ head. You don't call the shots."

The voice was silent. Lloyd fidgeted with the sleeves of his overly large jacket. He watched the streets pass by for a while, before speaking up again. "You know, I've always just. . . kind of accepted the fact that you're in my head. I've never asked why. I've never asked _who_ you are."

 _I am Overlord of all things._ The voice hesitated before continuing. _And I did not choose to be trapped within you._

"Overlord, huh?' Lloyd couldn't help but snicker at the dramatic title. "You sure are weird, whatever you are."

* * *

Kai rubbed his eyes, trying his best to force them open. They burned with exhaustion, yet he had no other choice but to ignore the sensation. It was morning now, and he had things to get done.

Not too many, unfortunately. Despite having been open for at least five years, they hadn't quite formed a consistent base of customers. Most of the people that _did_ come to see them were more interested in the not-so-legal aspect of their business.

He wasn't too happy about helping people of questionable backgrounds, but his feelings didn't matter. The only thing that did was the money those people were willing to pay.

Even though he knew it was a waste of time, Kai reached for his tablet, to check for the number of credits in his account. Still nowhere near their goal. Still nowhere near enough to buy their parent's shop back. Kai sighed.

"Instead of moping about, you _could_ help out a little." Nya looked up from her work, tossing a small notebook at her brother. "There's a list of things I need to fix the motor we got yesterday. And the food we're running low on."

"One day _you_ should run the errands, and I can do the work that matters." Kai responded but he took the notebook regardless, shoving it in his back pocket as he stood.

"Sure! I'm down for that." Nya's smile was fake and mocking. "As soon as you learn to _fix_ things, instead of burning them in frustration."

"Not my fault my talents lie elsewhere," Kai shrugged. "You know, why don't we just _scare_ Chen into giving us our parent's shop? He doesn't even _use_ it."

Kai held his hand up, creating a controlled inferno within his fingers. The flames grew and entwined themselves through his arm. "Bet he's never seen anything like _this_."

With a nonchalant gesture, Nya used her own powers to soak her brother's arm in water, extinguishing the flames in an instant. "Yeah, Kai. Exposing our powers to someone is a _great_ plan of action."

"At this point. . . why not? This is so frustrating. We're different. We shouldn't be _hiding_. We're-"

"We're _not_ super heroes, Kai. We're just . . . kids." Nya shook her head. "Just go get me the things from the list, okay?"

"Fine." Kai tried to keep the edge from his voice, but wound up failing spectacularly.

Before he could exit the small shop, the door swung open. Kai stepped back just in time to prevent himself from being hit, stumbling against their worktable. Before him stood a small child, with bright green eyes and a serious expression on his features.

" _There_ you are," Lloyd said, stepping inside. "I need you two to help me."

"Sure," Nya smiled, doing her best to make her voice sweet. She moved towards the kid, bending down to look him in the eye. "What can we fix up for you?"

"Oh no." Lloyd shook his head. "I'm not here for _that_ kind of help."

Nya looked back at her brother, and they both exchanged a frown.

"I need you to help me get my father out of Kryptarium prison."

* * *

"Don't forget, Jay! No more illegal activities!" Cole did his best impression of Edna's voice, which wasn't very good at all. Jay rolled his eyes. "I worry I've raised a criminal!"

"Hilarious, Cole."

"Thank you! I've be here all week. And all month. And. . . all forever." Cole's voice dropped. "Oh. Now I made myself sad."

"That's what you get."

They moved down the street together. As usual, Jay wore a small earpiece. It was nearly impossible to keep himself from talking to Cole, so he'd grown used to pretending he was simply on the phone at all times. This way, the people around him barely spared him a glance.

"I still can't believe you told Nya about the kid. Did she believe you?"

"I think so. But Kai probably won't. He still thinks I'm cuckoo."

"How do you know you aren't? Maybe I _am_ a figment of your imagination."

Jay shuddered. "Gah! Don't _say_ that. You know I don't trust my head as is."

"Sorry," Cole muttered quickly, before dropping back to his joking manner. "I was obviously joking. I mean, do you really think you have enough imagination to create someone like me?"

"You're right. If I'd made you up, you'd actually be a nice friend instead of an obnoxious poltergeist."

They turned into the alley behind Kai and Nya's shop. Jay pressed his thumb against the small lock, which flashed green before unlocking with a soft _click_. He walked inside, dumping his empty bag on the ground.

Voices emanated from the front of the shop. Cole moved ahead of him, but he returned quickly, a concerned look in his eyes. "It's the kid!"

"What?" Jay took a step forward, but Cole held his hands up, willing his friend to stop. "Cole, _move_. You know I hate going through you."

"Jay, aren't you listening? It's _the_ kid. From yesterday. Creepy darkness powers? Easily overpowered two thugs that were more than half his size?"

"Yeah well, Kai and Nya are out there with him. I'm sure it's fine." Jay shut his eyes, stepping straight through Cole's body and into the shop.

Kai and Nya turned to look back at him, and the small child they'd been speaking to looked up. Cole stepped beside him. "There's _something_ . . . in him. Around him. Kind of like a ghost but. . . not. The kid's bad news, Jay."

"Hey." Jay forced a smile, taking the earpiece away and shoving it in his pocket. "What's uh. . . going on guys?"

"Who is _that?_ " The kid frowned at him, and Jay flickered his eyes to the side.

"That's Jay. He could help, I suppose. He's smart," Kai said.

"Kai, you can't _possibly_ be thinking about doing this." Nya hissed through gritted teeth. "It's impossible."

"Not for _us_." Kai protested.

"We're talking about Garmadon here. Do you have any idea what-"

Jay moved forward, stepping between the two siblings. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Why are we talking about Garmadon?"

When Kai and Nya hesitated to respond, the kid spoke up instead. "I'm Lloyd Garmadon. His son. And I need help to break him out of Kryptarium prison. I know you guys can help me and, like I said, I can pay whatever you want. If you need credits in advance to know I'm serious, I can do that."

"His _son_?" Jay scoffed, trying to laugh, but making a more strangled sound instead. "Kid, we can't break _Garmadon_ out of prison. First of all, it's Kryptarium prison. No one escapes! You'll only get killed! Second, like I said, it's _Garmadon_. The guy that single handedly destroyed more than half of Ninjago, then went on to blow up Echo's headquarters? The man's a monster!"

"He is _not!_ " Lloyd snapped. "They all say he did those things! But how do _you_ know!?"

"Well obviously because. . ." Jay bit his lip. He didn't have an appropriate answer. The story of Garmadon had always just been. . . fact.

The man had formerly worked for Echo, a company created by his father, and a man named Dr. Julien. It had successfully managed to become a monopoly, controlling and creating every single technological artifact in Ninjago. The country thrived with the inventions Echo provided. Garmadon inherited the company along with his brother when their father passed away, and Dr. Julien decided to step down to work along everyone else.

Things had been good, for a while. Then everything had begun to malfunction. Androids turned violent, vehicles and household appliances caused deadly accidents all throughout. In the moment, no one could understand what was happening. But when Garmadon went on to destroy Echo's headquarters, everything came to light.

Through the years, Garmadon had worked to manufacture a virus, which he planned to unleash in Ninjago out of the desire for chaos. The man was nothing, if not insane. His brother had done his best to rebuild the company and the city after the massive wave of destruction, but everything had yet to completely recover.

In other words, if anyone deserved to be in Kryptarium prison for the rest of his life, it was Garmadon.

Which was why both Jay and Nya could hardly believe the words that Kai spoke next.

"We'll do it."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Kai. Nya." Jay pushed the names out of his mouth with a frown. "How about before we make any sort of crazy decisions, we take a moment to talk amongst ourselves?"

Jay tilted his head toward the back of the shop. Nya followed the gesture and nodded, gripping her brother's arm tightly. "Yes. That's a _great_ idea, Jay."

Nya half dragged Kai along with her. Jay followed, after giving the child a small smile. Once the three of them were together, Nya let go of her brother, crossing her arms over her chest. "So, Kai, since _when_ do you make decisions for us?"

"You heard the kid. He can pay us."

"He's a _kid_ , Kai. How do we know he isn't lying?" Nya shook her head. "But it isn't about the money at all, is it? It's about _you_ using your powers to do the impossible."

"No!" Kai hissed, then sighed. "A little. But it isn't just that. He's just a kid who wants his father, Nya. And he seems pretty determined to do it. We might as well help him, you know? What if _we'd_ had a shot to save _our_ parents? "

Nya shut her eyes, lips tightening into a grimace. "Kai, _this_ has absolutely nothing to do with our parents."

"Okay, I'm sorry." Kai backed down, turning away to pace the length of the room.

"You've both brought up great points." Jay piped in, as the silence lengthened. "But let me solve this for you two real quick. We are _not_ helping that kid, because _he's_ the one I called you about. Shadow demon kid."

"He is!?" Both Nya and Kai turned in unison, glaring at Jay before exchanging glances at one another.

"Definitely," Jay nodded. "Which is a pretty good reason _not_ to help him. I mean the fact that he wants to free _Garmadon_ was reason enough for me. But if you needed a bit more convincing, Kai, I think that ought to do it. Doubt you want to work with a demon child."

But neither Kai nor Nya were listening to Jay's words.

"If he's the kid. . . and he's got powers. . ." Kai began, his eyes connected with his sister's.

"And _he's_ related to Garmadon. . ." Nya bit her lip. "Garmadon _did_ work at ECHO. What if he's the reason we're like this?"

"If he's not, he could at least know _why_ we're like this."

"How would we do it?"

Kai frowned, the gears in his mind turning quickly. "We sneak in through the sewers, as usual, but instead of just dropping something off, we go _into_ the prison. Jay can take care of the cameras, give us a couple of seconds before we-"

"Ah, ah, _whoa_. Reel it back." Jay held his arms up, shaking his head frantically. He turned to Nya, eyes pleading. "You're on _his_ side now? C'mon, Nya, you know this is crazy! And also, if you guys _are_ doing this, who said I would come with? This is Kryptarium we're talking about! I don't think that's something I have to keep reminding you!"

"Jay, c'mon." Nya's voice softened as she turned to face him, and Jay groaned, looking away. "I'm pretty sure we can't do this without you. We need you."

"Don't." Jay shook his head again, but this time with a little less energy. He'd always had a hard time saying no to any of Nya. "It's crazy."

"You want to know why we have powers just as much as we do." Nya continued. "All three of us? Together? We'll be unstoppable."

"Fine! Fine." Jay crossed his arms, still refusing to look at Nya. "You're not going to leave me alone until I agree. So _fine_."

" _Jay_ ," Cole hissed. "You're not serious. What about your parents?"

Jay pretended not to hear. Kai and Nya exchanged small smiles with each other.

"Now that that's settled," Kai clapped his hands together, trying to keep tabs on his excitement, but failing. "Let's go out there and make a plan, shall we?"

* * *

"What if they don't want to help us?"

Lloyd fidgeted with the sleeves of his hoodie, eyes staring intently at the door the others had disappeared through, willing them to help him.

 _We can make them. Show them what we can do, and they'll bend over backwards for us._

"We're keeping powers to a minimum," Lloyd said, trying to sound as commanding as possible.

The voice didn't respond.

With a sigh and a shiver, Lloyd sunk deeper into himself. His body then jolted when the door to the shop swung open in a violent manner. A man stepped inside, his eyes wild with confusion. They settled on Lloyd and widened, their icy blue color shining with excitement.

"Uh, do I know you?"

"Do you know me!?"

They both spoke at the same time, words overlapping with one another. When the man made no attempt to repeat his question or answer Lloyd's, Lloyd spoke again. "I don't . . . know you no. Sorry?"

The man seemed to deflate, but only slightly. He took a step closer. "I. . . This will sound very strange, but I feel like I am supposed to know you. We are supposed to know each other."

"That does sound weird." Lloyd agreed, nodding slowly. The man didn't seem dangerous, and his rapt attention and awkward mannerisms didn't make Lloyd uncomfortable. If anything, the whole situation felt fairly amusing. "I'm Lloyd."

The child held out his small hand, hopping out of the chair to stand as tall as he could. The man shook his hand in return. Lloyd felt a jolt travel through him.

 _Interesting._ The voice in his head said. _He is an android._

 _Android?_ Lloyd questioned. It would explain the man's exaggeratedly stoic movements, but Lloyd had never seen an android that looked quite like this. It seemed so human.

"I am Zane," the android responded. "My memories are rather fuzzy, but I truly believe I am somehow related to you."

"I don't think so." Lloyd shook his head. "I've never had an android before."

"An. . . Android?" Zane blinked slowly. Emotions swirled in his eyes.

"No way," Lloyd's mouth was agape. "You didn't know you-"

Before Lloyd could finish his question, the door to the small backroom reopened. Kai, Nya, and Jay stepped back into the shop. The first two looked excited. Jay's expression was closer to sick.

"Like I said, we'll. . . help. . ." Kai's words slowly faded into silence as he spotted Zane. He cleared his throat, recovering quickly. "Hello, sir. Sorry about the wait. How can we help you today?"

Zane studied Kai for a moment, before looking down at his own hand. "I would like to know who I am."

"Er. . ."

"He's not a customer." Lloyd piped up, trying to be helpful. "But you said you would help me? When can we do it? Tonight?"

"If you're not a customer, then who are you?" Nya said, moving closer and ignoring Lloyd's questions. "What do you mean you would 'like to know who you are'?"

"I am Zane." Zane held out his hand towards Nya, who shook it slowly, eyes drowning in confusion. "Last night, something called to me. I have followed, and I found it led me to Lloyd. I was hoping he would have answers. I do not know anything about my past. My earliest memory was of waking up in Birchwood Forest."

At the mention of the forest, Jay's attention snapped towards Zane, broken memories automatically flooding his mind. "Birchwood Forest?"

"Yes." Zane nodded, turning to Jay. "Do you know of it?"

"We _all_ know of it." Lloyd rolled his eyes. "Can we please get back to getting my dad out of Kryptarium?"

"Getting someone out of Kryptarium Prison would be breaking the law." Zane pointed out. Lloyd rolled his eyes again.

"I'm sorry," Kai shook his head, stepping towards the door. He pushed it open, holding it in place as he turned back towards Zane. "Zane, was it? If you don't mind, we all need to have a very important conversation that you _probably_ shouldn't be a part of. Do you mind. . . leaving?"

Zane looked at Kai, then back at Lloyd, whose eyes were boiling with annoyance. With a calm posture, Zane shook his head. "I would like to stay."

"Well, you can't."

 _Let the robot stay,_ the voice in Lloyd's head commanded. _An android's intelligence will serve us well. And if he decides to cause trouble, we can control him._

Obediently, Lloyd nodded. "He'll stay. He'll help us."

Kai opened his mouth to argue with the child, but found that he didn't care enough to. He shut the door roughly, locking it with quick movements. "Whatever then."

"Now, before we plan anything." Nya stepped up besides her brother. "You've got a couple of things to answer, kid."

"Like?" Lloyd responded, voice thick with sass.

"Like, why do you have powers?"

"Oh. I don't know. " Lloyd was momentarily taken aback. Then he blinked, recovering his composure and shaking his head. "I mean, I don't. Why would I?"

"You do." Jay said. He then raised his arm, allowing thin strips of controlled lightning to entwine themselves around his arm. "And so do we. That's why we decided to help you. We thought maybe Garmadon would have some answers."

Lloyd watched the lightning in awe. Kai and Nya mimicked Jay's actions, showcasing the control they had over their respective elements. Lloyd's eyes grew wider. Beside him, Zane's reaction was the same.

"Wow!" Lloyd shouted.

"I. . ." Zane cleared his throat, before holding up his arm before the others. The skin around his hand slowly covered itself in a thick coat of ice, before dissipating back into nothing. He nearly bounced with excitement, knowing he wasn't alone, knowing that maybe he _did_ belong somewhere after all. "I am also able to manipulate an element!"

"So," Nya turned back towards Lloyd, letting the water hovering above her skin turn back into nothing. "Do you believe your father will have answers?"

 _Yes,_ the voice inside him said.

"Yes," Lloyd echoed.

* * *

Instead of planning, they spent most of the day exchanging stories about their abilities.

Lloyd said only what the voice inside his mind told him to, and Jay was uncharacteristically quiet, but Kai, Nya, and Zane were eager to share their experiences and compare whatever knowledge they had accumulated.

By the time they all finally ran out of stories, night had fallen.

Jay stepped outside through the backdoor, with the excuse of calling his parents to let them know he would not be coming home that night. He held the phone in his hand, but did not dial, opting instead for standing in the darkness.

Cole watched him in silence for a moment. "Well, you've been quiet tonight. What's _that_ all about?"

"You've been quiet too!" Jay shot back.

"Yeah well, not much use talking if no one is going to answer." Cole shrugged, trying to sound nonchalant. "Look, Jay, if you don't want to go through with this, just _don't._ You don't have to do anything you don't want to do."

Jay laughed, shaking his head and leaning back against the wall. "You heard what the kid said. Garmadon might have answers."

"Yeah, but at what cost?"

"We'll be _fine_." Jay's tone was forceful, as he willed himself to believe it. "Nya's right, you know. If we're together, we'll be unstoppable. Plus we have the kid on our side."

"I still don't trust him," Cole said. "Also, I _swear_ he kept stealing glances at me."

"Huh. That's. . .Well there isn't any particular reason why _I_ should be the only one that can see you, right? " Jay shook his head, trying to keep a nonchalant attitude. "He's just a kid."

"He's not! I told you, there's some weird thing hanging out around him."

"Okay, fine. We don't trust the kid. We're just going along for the answers."

"Like I said, you shouldn't do it if you don't want to." Cole shrugged. "But fine."

"Fine."

Silence momentarily enveloped the two, as they each struggled with their own thoughts. Jay toyed with his sparks, making them dance around his fingers. It was soothing. Cole watched his movements, speaking only when his friend was once again calm.

"Can I ask what exactly happened in Birchwood Forest? Ever since the strange guy brought it up you've been shifty."

"That's. . ." Jay clenched his fist, making the sparks die instantly. "That's when I first figured out I had these weird powers."

"Oh."

"I can't remember the details. I know something happened that upset me a _lot._ I don't know if my parents were mad at me, or if I got in a fight with someone, I don't know. All I remember were the emotions. They were so strong. It felt like I was going to burst."

Jay shut his eyes. "My mind was buzzing and I started to run. I couldn't understand what was happening, I just knew it was something _bad_. So I kept running, until I was sure I was alone. I happened to stop at Birchwood Forest. That's when I just. . . exploded."

"Exploded?"

"Not _literally_ , obviously." Jay chuckled. "But I just, bamm! Let go of all the weird energy that had been building up. Brightest flash of lightning I've _ever_ seen. I'm surprised it didn't blind me. But after that, my mind was constantly freaking out. I started having trouble remembering things, trouble keeping my thoughts in order. I probably fried up my brain."

"Ahhh. That explains why you're such a moron," Cole joked, in a weak attempt to lighten the mod.

Jay frowned at him. "Doesn't explain why _you're_ such a jerk."

"I probably died a jerk. That's why I'm stuck as a ghost."

"Probably. Serves you right." Jay smiled. "But. . . really. You heard that guy, Zane, he can't remember anything! Last thing he knows is Birchwood Forest. What if _I_ did that? Wiped his mind completely because I couldn't control myself?"

"It's possible."

Jay turned to Cole. "That doesn't make me feel any better!"

"I'm just being honest!" Cole protested. "But even if it _was_ you, it's not like you meant to do it. You had no idea what was going to happen. You can't blame yourself for this. No one would blame you for this."

"Ugh." Jay sighed. "You're right. I hope you're right. You _are_ right, right?"

"Right," Cole laughed.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Lloyd couldn't sleep, but he was good at pretending.

He lay curled up on a small, torn couch. Kai had suggested he stay with them for the night, and Lloyd had jumped at the offer of a place to sleep. Regardless, his thoughts refused to slow, denying him the well-deserved rest.

The events of the day had been overwhelming and exciting. There was so much new information to shift through. He wasn't the only one with super powers. An android with a lost memory was now stubbornly attached to Lloyd's side. And then, there was a _ghost_.

Lloyd had noticed him instantly, standing protectively by Jay's side. The voice had ordered him to pretend he was unaware of the ghost's presence, but it was hard to keep his eyes away. It wasn't exactly an every day sight.

 _Why do you think we all have powers?_ Lloyd thought, knowing that the so-called Overlord was always listening.

 _I do not know_ , the voice replied, and Lloyd wondered if it was lying. _It does not matter, does it?_

 _I guess not_. _What do you think about Zane?_

 _I think he will be useful._

 _That's not what I mean. I mean where do you think he came from? Why does he know me?_

 _The answer to those questions are also irrelevant._

Lloyd sighed, stretching his limbs as far as the couch would allow, while keeping his eyes shut. He gave up on asking questions, knowing that the Overlord wouldn't hand him any sort of knowledge he didn't need. So instead of that, the child spent his thoughts on imagining every and all possible answers.

He could feel his mind growing less and less coherent, as it drifted towards sleep. In the end, only one thought remained, gently lulling him into a comforting darkness.

He was going to see his father.

* * *

"If you had to guess, what would you say the reason for our powers is?"

Kai lifted an eyebrow at his sister, who sat cross-legged on her small bed. "I don't know. I'd hate to think I have anything in common with the ghost-seeing looney."

Nya frowned.

"I'm kidding," Kai shrugged, throwing a thick blanket on the ground, crafting a make-shift bed. He'd let the kid and Zane to stay and sleep downstairs in the shop, while lending his room to Jay for the night. "I bet we were all caught in a radioactive blast, or somehow managed to eat toxic waste as toddlers."

"I'm serious. There's got to be something connecting us," Nya said, eyes becoming distant as she struggled to find a reason. "But I can't think of anything."

"Maybe it was just a wrong place, wrong time kind of deal." Kai answered, flicking the light off before settling down. "Either way, we'll know soon enough."

" _Hopefully_ we'll know soon enough." Nya let her body fall against the bed, but her mind had no intentions of sleeping. "Don't jinx it."

"We're teenagers with superpowers. We practically exist to succeed." Kai smirked to himself in the darkness. With everyone's abilities put together, they could do anything. Then, if the kid was right about Garmadon's innocence, uncovering whatever plot had landed him behind bars was surely heroic enough to deserve recognition. "We'll get him out, no problem."

"Okay." Nya nodded to herself slowly. It _was_ hard to believe average people with average expectations could possibly do anything against their abilities. "But. . . After that, then what?"

"What do you mean?"

"I _mean_ ," Nya pressed on, turning on her side to look down at her brother. "We get Garmadon out. The kid's reunited with his dad and we're all warm and fuzzy inside. But then _what_? They'll still be looking for him. And if we don't pull this off right, they'll be looking for us too."

Kai frowned, the cold facts of reality creating cracks within his daydreams. "Then. . . I don't know. We'll figure something out."

"I sure hope so," Nya's voice softened. "Enough money to buy our parent's shop back won't do us any good if we're stuck behind bars."

* * *

"We can sneak inside through the sewers." Kai pointed at the map before him, his finger tracing the pipes that ran straight into the center of the prison. Nya nodded along beside him, while Jay paced back and forth across the room. Lloyd and Zane sat together on the battered couch, listening intently. "It's probably as safe as it gets. Now the main problem is-"

"I can't go through the sewer," Jay piped in, glancing sidelong at an empty space. "The sewers are filled with water."

"Among other things, yes." Kai rolled his eyes, straightening up to look at his friend. "Look, I know it probably sounds extremely unpleasant, but you can't-"

"It's not that!" Jay shook his head. "That's fine. I mean it's not fine, but I could deal. The problem is Cole. He can't touch water. It's. . . a ghost thing."

"Okay." Kai breathed in slowly, grasping bits of patience from anywhere he could. "Well, Jay, we _really_ need you on this. You're the only one that can deactivate the cameras."

Jay grimaced, and Lloyd cast him a quick glance before turning to Kai. "I can do that too!"

"You can?"

Instead of responding, Lloyd hopped up, pressing the palm of his hand against the nearest wall. A shadow snaked its way across the surface, breaking off into different directions as it followed the lure of electricity. He then clenched his fingers, shutting off every piece of technology simultaneously.

With a smirk, Lloyd relaxed his hand. Everything snapped back to life.

"Freaky," Jay said, blinking slowly.

"Er. . . Yeah." Kai cleared his throat, overwhelmed by the amount of power lingering in the fingers of a ten year old.

Lloyd shrugged, enjoying the attention with a satisfied smile. "I can do a lot of things."

"No kidding." Nya gave a low whistle.

"So then. . . You guys _don't_ need me, right?" Jay said, looking from the kid, to Kai.

Kai thought for a couple of seconds, looking back down at the map before him. His fingers tapped against the thin paper rhythmically. "As I was going to say before, our biggest problem is that we _don't_ know where Garmadon is. We can sneak in just fine, but we can't be running around the prison asking for Garmadon."

"So we need someone inside to figure it out for us." Nya bit her lip. "We're not exactly on a buddy basis with any of the guards."

"We hack into the system then!" Lloyd shouted, pointing at the tablet sitting beside the map. "That's a thing, right?"

"It would most likely be impossible to do so from that device." Zane spoke up, momentarily startling everyone. The man had been so impossibly silent, it was easy to forget he was there at all. "The network with the prison records would be a private network. The only way to access it would be from the computers within the prison itself."

"Oh." Lloyd pouted.

"So yes, we need someone inside." Kai nodded, eyes locked with Jay's. The blue-eyed teen shrunk into himself. "And against my better judgement. . . I'll have to say that's where we need _you_ , Jay."

"That is definitely against any sort of good judgement." Jay said. "You want me to get arrested? Because I'm not doing that. I want to know about our powers as much as anyone, but I don't want to get to know Kyrptarium prison like _that_."

"Not arrested." Kai shook his head, as the idea solidified in his mind. It was insane, and risky, and if Jay was lying about the friendly ghost it was impossible. "But if we can dress you up as a guard, then your ghost pal can posses a _real_ guard, with the proper card keys and familiar features. Then you two can sneak inside, find Garmadon, and bring him to us. That is, if you aren't lying about the ghost."

"Of course I'm not lying!" Jay scoffed, crossing his arms. "But that'll never work. The guards will be suspicious as soon as they don't recognize me!"

"Then your friend can take over the mind of the warden. None of the guards would argue with _him_ right? They'll just think you're new."

Once again, Jay exchanged glances with someone who wasn't there, before pacing back and forth across the room. When he didn't protest further, Kai continued to shape out the plan.

"First. . . We'll take a boat to the far side of the prison. That way we can use your powers if things go wrong." He looked up at Nya, who gave a quick nod. "You and Zane can stay in the boat. While we-"

"Wait, what?" Nya protested. "Kai we _always_ go together. What's with this?"

"We need someone to keep an eye on. . ." Kai's eyes quickly shifted in Zane's direction. Even if the guy had powers similar to theirs, Kai still wasn't sure he could be trusted. "The boat."

Nya swallowed her protests, following her brother's train of thought. "Fine."

"Me and the kid will head in through the sewer, so when we get Garmadon, Lloyd can explain everything." Lloyd nodded enthusiastically, nearly bursting with excitement at the thought of his father. "Jay and. . . Cole will go their own way, so they can get Garmadon to us. If you bump into any other guards, come up with whatever you can so they don't try to raise the alarm."

Jay barely nodded, fingers tugging at his sleeves.

"Once we have Garmadon. . . I'll weld the entrance to the sewers shut. Just in case. After all, if the kid isn't lying, we won't need that path anymore, right?"

"Right," Nya said, voice soft.

"You think everyone is lying," Lloyd muttered to himself, arms crossed.

Kai ignored Lloyd's comment, continuing on with the final steps of his idea. "We get to the boat, meet up with Jay, and then we're home free. Hopefully they won't realize Garmadon is gone for at least a couple of hours. They won't know what hit them."

"Not that. . . Not that I'm _trying_ to get out of this," Jay said, softly. "But where are you even going to get a disguise? It's not like they sell uniforms in the mall."

"Oh don't worry about that." Kai gave Jay his signature smirk. "We know a guy."

"Of course you know a guy," Jay chuckled weakly.

* * *

"Grand Sensei Dareth's Mojo Dojo?"

Lloyd read the sign before him, eyeing the building with curiosity. It seemed to be simple enough. Unlike the modernized buildings surrounding it, the place looked quaint and antique. He looked over at Kai. " _This_ is the place?"

"Yup." Kai nodded, stepping inside along with his sister without hesitation.

"And he says _you're_ the crazy one." Cole scowled, glancing over at Jay.

Lloyd snickered, then pretended to cough, before following Kai. Zane moved along beside him.

Cole moved forward quickly, and Lloyd did his best not to make eye contact. "I know you can hear me. And I _know_ you can see me. What gives?"

Lloyd quickened his pace, keeping his eyes glued to the floorboards. _Why don't you want me talking to him?_

 _He doesn't trust us_ , the Overlord responded. _The more distance between him and us, the better._

 _But why? It's not like we're planning any-_

Lloyd's train of thought was quickly fractured as he crashed against Kai's back. He stumbled, but Kai steadied him with a firm grip upon his shoulder. Lloyd gave an apologetic smile.

The door on the other side of the room slid open with force. A man with a rounded belly and an extravagant hair style stepped inside. "Welcome! To Grand Sensei- Oh. It's just you two."

"Hey Dareth." Nya gave a small wave.

"Hello." The man returned the wave, before his eyes found Lloyd, still somewhat hidden behind Kai. "Ah! It's _not_ just you two. You've brought a kid. I knew you'd find me a customer one of these days."

Zane and Jay stepped into the room, along with an invisible Cole still eyeing Lloyd suspiciously. Dareth studied the people before him. "You brought _more_ than one. Well, you two are a little old for most of my classes but I shant judge. No, no. I will teach anyone the art of self-defense! For I, am Grand Sensei Dareth."

Lloyd burst into a fit of giggles, and Kai shook his head, directing Dareth's attention to him. "No, they're not here for your classes, Dareth. We were actually hoping you could help us out with something."

"And what would that be?" The man tilted his head, placing one hand against his hip. "You two in need of my protection? I told you to stay out of that bad business. Someone's finally hunting you down, huh? Well no worries. I will keep you safe. Until my very last breath."

"Where the heck did Kai _find_ this guy?" Cole chuckled softly. "He's a piece of work I'll give him that."

Lloyd fought to keep a smile back. Dareth took notice of his expression, raising an eyebrow. "You think this is a joke, kid? I assure you, my skills are unsurpassed."

"No, Dareth we don't need protection." Kai shook his head, sidestepping back into the man's view. "We need your uniform from Kyrptarium prison. You still have it, right?"

"Pft. Of course I have it. You think I would throw something like that away? The fabric is priceless. Most comfortable thing I've ever owned."

"Why do _you_ have a uniform?" Lloyd questioned, eyeing the man. He was the furthest thing from guard material the child had ever seen.

Dareth scoffed. "They asked me to work for them, of course. And for a time, I did. But I knew that wasn't my calling. My true calling is to spread my teachings through the world."

"Dareth worked there, but he didn't last long. He wasn't exactly what they were looking for." Lloyd looked up at Kai as he offered the more honest explanation. "He kept the uniform. Pretty sure he wasn't supposed to, but we're not here to judge."

Jay studied Dareth as the man walked off to retrieve the uniform. He then looked down at his own body. He chuckled weakly, eyes shifting towards Kai. "And it's supposed to fit me?"

"You can wear a belt." Kai shrugged.

"Yeah, but if I'm waltzing around in a uniform three times my size that's bound to arouse _some_ sort of suspicion!"

"Three times your size?" Dareth walked back into the room, clutching the clothes in his arms. "I'd say one size up, if anything!"

"Yeah, Jay. You've definitely been gaining some weight." Cole snickered, making his hand solid enough to poke his friend on the side. Jay did his best not to jolt, face turning into a tight grimace.

"You two owe me for this." Dareth continued, oblivious to the ghost's comment. Nya took the uniform from him, offering the sweetest smile she could muster. "I can't keep doing favors for you guys without anything in return. I do have a business to run too, you know."

"We'll keep spreading the word about your Dojo, don't worry." Nya said, and Lloyd watched as her brother nodded along. The kid suspected they were lying.

After Nya and Kai gave a couple more thank-yous to the self-proclaimed Sensei, they headed back out of the shop. Lloyd followed closely, his heart pumping with excitement as the reality of everything began to settle in. His mind, abuzz with happiness, didn't register the fact that his arm was moving without his permission.

A wave of memories erased all thoughts from his mind, as his fingers gripped Kai's wrist. Lloyd flew through the experiences of the guy's life, mood rising and dropping along with each event.

 _"But will it work? There isn't-"_

 _"It'll be okay, son. We'll always-"_

 _"This has gone too far-"_

 _"I'm so, so sorry."_

The memories ended as quickly as they'd begun, leaving Lloyd with nothing more than flickering images. He felt momentarily nauseous. It took most of his strength to refocus on the present. Kai was looking down at him, eyes shining with an unspoken question. Lloyd quickly let go of the man's wrist.

"Sorry." Lloyd said quickly. "I tripped."

"Right," Kai said, voice thick with disbelief.

 _Why did you do that?_ Lloyd's thoughts felt shaky. He shoved his hands deep in his pockets, struggling to wash away the feeling of being controlled.

The voice didn't respond.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Nya and Kai stood side by side, leaning against the rail of the boat.

Both of their eyes were shut, each completely focused on the task at hand. Using both of their abilities, they created a thick, steady mist to stay hidden. The trick had yet to fail, as it had kept them safe through every one of their smuggling runs.

Zane watched them with interest, mind absorbing every scrap of information he came across. Lloyd sat beside him, dozing in and out of sleep, boredom making his eyelids heavier than he could bear. For the first couple of minutes, he'd been ready to jump out of his skin in excitement. But Kai and Nya were careful, taking a long detour along the coast, and moving slower than should have been allowed.

Soon enough, the adrenaline inside Lloyd had dropped to nothing.

On the opposite end of the boat, Jay paced in the enclosed space, his anxiety refusing to lessen regardless of the amount of time it took them to arrive. Cole watched the water, for once feeling just as wound up as his friend.

"If you get me double killed because you don't know how to say no." Cole muttered, gulping as the boat gave a small lurch. "I'm going to find a way to come back to personally murder you."

"You needn't bother. We're all going to get killed in Kryptarium anyway." Jay responded. "This plan has way too many things that could go wrong. I don't know why I'm doing this."

"Should have listened to me."

The boat slowed, before the edge of Kryptarium prison pulled them to a full stop. A large pipe excited from within the building out into the ocean, with a constant drip of murky water. Lloyd frowned at the smell, then hopped out of the boat.

A patch of land led to the front of the prison, covered with rocks and sand. Jay eyed it warily. He looked towards Kai and Nya. Their skin was lightly covered in sweat, but they both looked as ready as ever. Jay envied them.

"Won't people question my coming out of nowhere?" Jay asked, before following Lloyd. Cole moved out of the boat with care, eyes shifting at the constant sloshing water. "If I was a new hire, they'd expect me to, I don't know, take the _main_ path?"

"You'll figure it out." Kai said with confidence, hoping it would spread to his friend. "Me and Lloyd will be waiting." With a nod towards the child, they set off together. Jay's eyes flickered to Nya.

"We can't do this without you." Nya gave him a smile, but Jay didn't return it. "You can do it. You'll be fine."

Instead of nodding, he shrugged, then turned around to begin the walk. He hadn't expected for her to suddenly change her mind and go to the prison herself, but he was disappointed nonetheless.

As expected, the moment Jay strolled into view, a wave of alarmed rippled through the guards. Two of them approached him with a quick pace, and Jay wanted to do nothing more than to run the opposite direction. Cole stood close, steadying him with a firm hand on his shoulder.

The shorter guard studied Jay's uniform, and Jay wanted to shrink into the ill-fitting clothes. "What were you doing back there? Where's your ID?"

"I. . . New." Jay stumbled through the words. His eyes shifted down to the guard's belt, where a stun gun was pressed against his hip. Well. At least _that_ wasn't going to do him much harm. "I'm new. Sorry. I was just exploring. The. . . everything. Looking around."

"Don't talk too much," Cole advised, before stepping into the body of the guard that had yet to speak.

The man gave a shudder, then turned to his companion. "Oh, yeah. The warden told me about him. Sparky Jones, right?"

It took all of Jay's will not to react to the poorly made-up name. He was grateful Cole had been smart enough to give them a fake name, but _still_. "Yep. That's . . . me."

"Sparky?" The un-possessed guard frowned.

"Ha ha yeah. . . My parents wanted a dog." Jay said, snatching the first excuse that came to mind and grimacing as the words emerged. The guard gave a shake of his head, deciding that someone's bizarre name was beneath his concern.

He turned to Cole. "Why would the warden tell _you_?"

"Oh." Cole blinked slowly. "I don't know. I think I was supposed to let you know, but I forgot."

"Figures. Well." The guard shrugged, and both Jay and Cole relaxed. "Let's get you to him them. He'll get you set up. And hopefully give you another uniform."

Jay followed. He clenched his hands into fists to keep them from shaking. He couldn't believe this was working. Kai's plan shouldn't have been working. And yet.

With the guard leading the way, no one gave them more than a second glance. They stepped inside the prison, and Jay looked back, eyes lingering on the outside as the doors shut. No turning back now.

He refocused on following the guards, keeping as close to them as possible. They moved through a maze of halls and up a couple of stairs before stopping before an office. The short guard gave a knock.

"Come in."

The guard pushed the door open. "Morning, sir. Brought in the new kid. Sparky Jones?"

"What? Who?"

Cole hopped out of the guard's body, quickly moving into the body of the warden to erase the confusion. The guard stumbled back as his mind was returned to him, and although he frowned at his surroundings, he didn't say anything.

"Oh! Of course," the warden said at last. "Let him in. I've got this from here. You two return to your posts."

With a nod, the guards walked away. Jay could hear the guard Cole had possessed poising questions at his companion, but he didn't linger to listen. He stepped into the office, shutting the door and melting onto one of the chairs across from the warden's desk.

"Holy unholy, this is insane." Jay shut his eyes, sparks dancing up and down his arms as nerves began to get the better of him. " _Why did I agree to this?_ "

Cole watched the electricity grow. He swallowed back any and all temptation to mutter a quick I-told-you-so. "You agreed because we're going to find out more about ourselves. Yes, it's kind of insane, but we're pulling it off. I'm right here with you, Jay."

Jay clung to the words, willing himself to breathe. "Okay. Okay. So. What's next?"

"We find Garmadon's cell. Somehow." Cole's eyes moved away from Jay and to the computer before him.

"We find Garmadon's cell." Jay repeated, trying to bring forth the rest of Kai's plan. The sparks around him dwindled. "And then?"

"Then we drop him off at the sewers. Nya told us there's an entrance in the courtyard. I'll come up with a reason as to _why_ we're taking Garmadon there. You just have to stick with me."

"Drop him off. Stick with you." Jay nodded, finally opening his eyes. The warden's eyes were locked onto his own, with a small frown of worry in his wrinkled features. "You know, I'm aware that it's _you_ in there, but this is still a little weird."

Cole sighed dramatically. "Well, this is certainly a downgrade from my handsome features. But it'll do. Oh. Jay?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think they have food in the break room? Snacks? Anything? I can't remember what the last meal I had was." Cole shut his eyes. "I could really go for anything right about now."

"They probably do," Jay said, then frowned, and shook his head. "We have to focus. Enjoy possessing people when we're _not_ in the middle of a jail break."

"Fine." Cole leaned forward, pushing the warden's glasses closer to his eyes. "Let's find our guy then."

* * *

"How long have you been doing this?" Lloyd asked, as he followed Kai through the sewers.

"I don't know. Three, four years? Something of the sort."

"Why did you start?"

"Money."

"Well, _duh_ , but why _this_? I'm pretty sure there are a lot of jobs out there. I mean at least I think there are." Lloyd frowned. "Are there?"

"None that pay as good as desperate people needing desperate measures." Kai shrugged.

"Like me!" Lloyd hopped ahead of Kai, then slowed down to allow the teen to catch up with him. "So what happen to your parents?"

Instead of answering, Kai trudged ahead. "That's a lot of questions you're asking."

"Well, I don't talk to people much." Lloyd said. "Plus, it's not like we've got anything better to do. We're walking, then we're waiting, we might as well talk, right?"

"Might as well," Kai said with a sigh. "It's my turn though."

"Oh?"

"What's your story?"

"My story?" Lloyd echoed. Kai finally stopped beneath a rusted metal ladder. "That's a vague question."

"Well. . . To be more specific, _how_ exactly does a ten year old wind up wandering unsupervised around the city?"

"By being more than capable of walking around unsupervised," Lloyd responded, placing both hands against his hips. "With powers, I don't exactly need a nanny. I can take care of myself."

"Obviously. I'm not saying you can't." Kai chuckled, enjoying the fire in the kid's attitude. "I'm more concerned with the fact that you shouldn't _have_ to be taking care of yourself."

"Well." Lloyd's eyes shifted down, finding it easier to stare at the dirty ground than to keep eye contact. "I'm not supposed to be unsupervised, technically. I'm supposed to be at boarding school. But I ran away."

"Why?"

"The place was awful!" Lloyd hissed. "The food, the rules, the hours, it was all awful. So of course I've had enough of the place. That's why I'm going to get my dad. Better to be with _him_."

Lloyd crossed his arms over his chest, and Kai watched silently as emotions flickered in the child's eyes. Lloyd spoke up again. "And because. . . of my powers. Sometimes I made bad things happen. So I had to go."

"Bad things like what?"

"Like. . ."

 _That's enough._ The commanding voice took hold of Lloyd's vocal chords, stopping the words before they emerged, changing them to something else altogether. "Like things you have no business knowing. You're here to help me, not to be my friend."

"Alright then." Kai frowned, startled at the sudden roughness in the child's tone. "Let's just get those cameras off."

Lloyd looked at Kai with an apology in his eyes, but he found it impossible to voice the feeling. Instead, he followed Kai silently up the ladder.

* * *

"So here we are." Jay stared at the door. It was kept shut by a simple electric lock. Jay could feel the small pulse of energy emerging from it, subtle, but constant.

"Here we are indeed." Cole said. "So open it."

"No turning back after this." Jay muttered, fingers tapping against his leg. His eyes shifted around, accounting for each of the cameras surrounding them. He could feel no electricity from them. Lloyd had done his job.

It was now or never.

"I think we passed the point of no return a while ago."

"True." Jay lifted his hand, pressing it against the lock. He focused on controlling the energy beneath his skin, using just enough to open the door.

"What are you doing?"

The voice was loud, startling every nerve in Jay's body. A powerful surge of electricity jolted out of his hand, completely frying the lock circuits.

Cole side stepped in front of Jay, trying to look as commanding as possible. Recognition flickered in the guard's eyes, and he slowed to a stop. "Oh. Sir."

"We're rounding up the guards in the courtyard," Cole said, crossing his arms over his chest to hide the fact that they were shaking. "The cameras aren't working, so we better keep an eye on everybody. I'm escorting Garmadon personally, of course."

"Oh. . . I. . . Didn't-"

"Didn't know? Well go spread the word! Whatever is going on, keeping the inmates from attempting escape is our priority."

"Yes sir." The guard nodded, before trotting back to the rest of the prison.

Cole exhaled, leaning his forehead against the cool wall. "There. Now we have an excuse to go to the courtyard. Wow. I think I'm giving this old man a heart attack. It's beating like crazy."

"Heh, yeah well, welcome to my world." Jay chuckled. "Also. . . I fried the lock."

"So that means. . ."

"We can't open it."

" _Jay!_ "

"Sorry!" Jay protested. "The guard scared me, what do you want me to do?"

"It's fine, it's fine." Cole shook his head, trying to escape the fact that it was definitely _not_ fine. "I can break it open. Hopefully no one will see it until we're long gone."

"That's a lot to hope for."

"Well, do you have a better idea?"

Jay stepped back, raising both hands up in defeat. "Go ahead then. Whatever lets us get out of here."

Cole took a slow breath, focusing his strength into his right fist. The wrinkled skin began to glow softly, and Cole silently prayed his power wouldn't harm the warden. Then, without allowing himself to think further, he swung at the metal door.

It flew backwards, his strength treating the material as if it was nothing. On the other side, Garmadon looked up, apparently unfazed by the flight of his door. He stood up from the bed, straightening his clothes before moving to Jay and Cole.

He frowned at the sight of the warden, but accepted the situation in the blink of an eye. "I'm guessing my son sent you?"

* * *

Lloyd's eyes were shut. But he could see everything.

His palm was pressed against the grimy sewer grate, allowing his power to spread through the prison. The cameras were under his control, and he could see everything they could. It was intoxicatingly powerful.

He truly _could_ do anything.

"They're coming," Lloyd said, knowing Kai would be listening. "They're heading for the courtyard."

" _Everyone_ is out in the courtyard. We'll have to do this quick."

"I'm ready." Kai answered, and although he couldn't see it, Lloyd could feel the heat of the flames beneath him.

Lloyd watched Jay, his father, and the warden approach the sewer grate. He couldn't hear whatever the warden was shouting, but it helped disperse people away from them. At least for now. Reluctantly, Lloyd let go of the cameras, falling back into his simple, limited view. "They're here!"

Lloyd hopped down as the sewer grate slid open. His heart hammered with emotions as he watched his father sneak inside, then land beside him. Kai didn't miss a beat, quickly climbing up the metal ladder and welding the entrance shut.

"Lloyd." The named shuddered out of Garmadon, as he kneeled to embrace his son. "You shouldn't have done this."

"I had to." Lloyd responded, burying himself in his father's arms. The moment felt surreal. Any moment now, he would wake up, and find himself back in boarding school.

But it wasn't a dream, and the moment was as real as any. Lloyd felt like crying.

"Sorry to interrupt the moment but we should probably go."

Garmadon cleared his throat, letting go of Lloyd and straightening up. "Right."

"Follow me then." Kai nodded, already running ahead. Garmadon took Lloyd into his arms, easily keeping pace. An alarm rang above them, loud enough to cause their surroundings to hum along with it. "Crap. We need to hurry. We need to go."

They reached the exit, tripping over the sand as they moved to the boat. Nya ran forward to meet them. "What happened?"

"I don't know." Kai shook his head.

Booming thunder shuddered through them as a flash of lightning cracked the sky. Nya watched it land somewhere within the prison.

"Jay."

* * *

"We did it. We actually did it." Jay stepped back from the sewer grate, following Cole as he weaved through the crowded courtyard.

"Not. . . Yet." Cole's words came out with effort. He stopped walking, freezing amidst the chaos.

"Cole?" Goosebumps crawled up Jay's arm. Things couldn't go wrong. Not _now_.

"I've never done this for so long." Cole's voice was soft, almost a whisper. "I'm losing. . . control. I can't get you out."

Panic clawed at Jay's throat. "Getting out should be easier than getting in, right?"

Cole didn't respond.

"Just. . . get to the boat. I'll be okay. Get to the boat." Jay nodded along with his words. "We'll probably need to make a quick getaway. You need to be safe. In case Nya needs to use her powers."

Cole shook his head. "You want me to just leave you?"

"Cole, if something happens to you, whatever sort of grasp on sanity I have, I'll _lose_ it. Please just go."

Cole looked ready to protest. But his ghostly figure fell forward, out of the warden's body. He looked both weak and disoriented. The fact that he'd be more of a burden than anything made his decision for him.

"Fine. Stay safe, Sparky."

"You are _not_ making that a thing." Jay forced a smile as his friend stumbled off. Then he faced the warden, and his true feelings of fear took. The man was eyeing him with suspicion, but his mind was still muddled from Cole's control. Not wanting to know what would happen when the man regained focus, Jay began to run.

As it was, running was a mistake. It made him a target.

A hand wrapped around his arm, tugging him back. He came face to face with one of the guards that had let him inside. "Where are you going?"

"I-"Jay swallowed.

"I have a better question." The warden's voice was kind, but it still shook Jay to the core. "Who are you, boy?"

"I'm-"

"Sir? I thought you were escorting Garmadon personally. Did you take him back to his cell?"

Jay's eyes flickered to the other guard, the one Cole had shooed away with fake orders. He watched the warden's eyes tighten with suspicion. It took all of his will not to crumple.

"I am not. What is going on?" The warden turned back towards Jay. "And, I'll ask again, who _are_ you?"

Instead of answering, Jay's eyes flickered upwards, where a stray dark cloud was forming. It crackled with unborn lightning, reacting to the fear within Jay's mind.

" _Answer_."

Lightning struck.

The powerful element landed upon the prison's walls, blasting a hole through the thick concrete. A way out.

The guards and the warden cursed and cowered, along with everyone else in the courtyard. The clouds above them continued to grow, and Jay used the power within them to steel his focus. Another flash of lighting struck somewhere beside him, spreading the panic.

Jay jumped through the hole, feet running as soon as he hit the ground. Shouts erupted from behind, along with the stray sound of gun fire. He formed an electric shield, using his hand to hold it behind him as he ran.

The dark cloud above him covered everything now, shooting erratic lightning beyond his control.

* * *

"Where are you going!?" Kai shouted, as his sister ran towards the prison.

"I'm getting Jay. Start the boat." Nya moved without waiting for her brother to agree, as she knew he wouldn't.

"No! I'll go, you-"

"I said _start the boat_. My power works better with Jay's and you know it."

Kai growled under his breath, but obeyed.

Nya ran to the chaos. Clouds towered above her, blocking most of the sun's light. Lightning continued to crackle as she moved, landing more and more often. She knew the odds of being hit directly were supposed to be low. She wondered how much higher the odds had become with Jay's influence.

She finally spotted him, a small figure coated in a blanket of electricity. Gun shots rang behind him. Nya quickened her pace.

"Jay!"

Jay's eyes locked onto hers. "Nya!"

They reached one another. Nya called to her power, using it to flood the path to the prison. "Let's make them think twice about following us."

Jay nodded, glad to have someone else come up with a plan. He let the lightning drop onto Nya's water, creating a deadly obstacle between himself and Kryptarium's guards.

"Let's go!"

Jay nodded at Nya's command, eyes sweeping through the prison before turning away for good. He couldn't see Cole anywhere. He hoped that meant he was safe.

They ran together, focused solely on reaching the boat. Nya felt a sudden pain at her side, but she ignored it, doing her best to keep up with her lightning fueled friend. But the pain persisted, and soon enough, Jay shot past her.

The boat was in sight, but dark dots flickered around her vision. She saw her brother's face, and his lips moved, shouting her name. Jay hopped onto the boat, finally realizing she wasn't beside him. He turned around and the fear in his eyes told her all she needed to know.

Nya put her hand against her side, not surprised to find warm blood beneath her fingers.

She knew the guards wouldn't be far behind. She knew her and Jay's abilities wouldn't hold them back for long. And she knew Kai was seconds away from hopping out of the boat to her aid.

But he wouldn't be fast enough. They would get her. And him. And everyone.

"Not on my watch." Nya growled to herself. Through sheer willpower, she whispered to the waves before her. They answered her obediently, growing stronger as she focused. With a loud shout, Nya shot every bit of strength within her into the water.

The waves grew violent. The boat, and everything she cared for, was dragged back, into the safety of the open sea.

With a smirk, Nya allowed herself to fall back against the sand.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Kai watched as his sister slowed to a stop, a patch of dark blood growing on her side.

He screamed her name, eyes flickering behind her as a flock of guards trotted closer. He wouldn't get to her in time. It didn't matter. He had to try.

Kai lurched to the edge of the boat, but an impossibly large wave shot him back. The prison grew smaller and smaller as the wave carried them in the opposite direction. Soon, there was nothing to see but water.

He cursed loudly, over and over again, as he regained his footing. He leaned against the boat's railing, desperately thinking of a solution and finding none. His sister was gone.

Eyes shut tight, Kai realized how incredibly ridiculous everything had been. They were nothing more than children, playing with forces beyond their understanding. Nya had been right to hesitate, but his pride had kept him from seeing reason until it was too late.

"What happened?" Kai hissed softly, frustration and worry tipping over into a wave of anger. He whirled around, eyes locking onto Jay's. "What did you _do_?"

" _Me?_ " Jay scowled, then laughed, his arms crossed protectively around himself. " _Me?_ I'm the one who didn't want to do this in the first place! I'm _not_ the one who thought we were invincible and I'm _definitely_ _not_ the one who decided to drag us all to the highest security prison in Ninjago!"

"The plan _was_ working. Nya was safe. We were all safe and you just-" Kai's words ended in an intelligible growl.

"We were all safe!? Last I checked _I_ was very, very far from safe!"

"Nya made her choice to protect her friend. You can't toss blame around for the consequences of her own decision." Garmadon's voice was loud and firm, startling both Jay and Kai. They turned to face him. "Kai, I understand you are worried, but that is no reason to lash out."

"Sure she decided to go and-" Kai's argument froze in his throat, as a haunting fact caught up with him. "Wait. How do you know my name? No one's said. . ."

Garmadon's eyes glinted with knowledge. "I know you all very well. I'm amazed to see you have all managed to find each other."

"So do you know the source of our abilities?" Zane stepped forward, and Garmadon studied him with awed admiration.

"The old doctor did quite the job." Garmadon chuckled, more to himself than anyone. "I must admit I'm impressed. How _is_ Julien doing?"

"I am sorry." Zane frowned. "I do not know who you are speaking of."

"Oh." This time, it was Garmadon's turn to frown. Memories and thoughts seemed to glaze his eyes. He shook them away to return to the preset. Garmadon kept Lloyd's hand in his own, using the child as a comforting anchor.

"But _how_ do you know us?" Kai pressed, eager for answers, eager to know his sister hadn't been lost in vain.

"I knew your parents. I watched you, your sister, and Jay here grow up. There was another kid too. Cole. But I guess he hasn't found his way to you."

"Cole?" Jay seemed to choke on the name, taking a step back as the boat swayed beneath him.

Garmadon studied him momentarily. Before he could answer, however, Jay continued to speak. "No, no, no. I didn't . . . He isn't. . . I was just. . . It all happened so fast and. . . The waves, _the waves_ , he could be. . ."

Sparks surrounded him in an instant. Garmadon and Zane stepped in front of Lloyd in sync, ready to protect the child from Jay's outburst. Clouds gathered above the boat. Kai watched them grow. He then grasped his friend's arms, ignoring the burning sensation of electricity.

" _Jay_ , stop that, you're going to get us all killed." Kai ordered, voice firm. "If you don't calm down and destroy the boat, you'll never get the chance to find him, right?"

"Right." Jay echoed. "Right."

The sparks slowly dwindled, and Kai let go. He gave a small shiver, then ran his hand over the goosebumps on his arm. "Maybe we should talk about all this later. When we're _not_ in a boat."

"Yeah." Jay nodded. "That's probably a good idea. Sorry."

"You need to control your abilities, boy." Garmadon's voice was full of authority. "Before they end up controlling _you_."

Jay nodded sheepishly. Lloyd clung onto his father's words, wondering if he could learn to do the same with the voice that plagued him.

* * *

Nya's mind slowly became conscious of the world around her, but she didn't open her eyes.

The first thought that entered her mind, was that she'd never been half as comfortable as she was now. The second thought was a memory, a reminder that she'd been shot.

She momentarily wondered if she was dead.

When she opened her eyes, she decided to ditch that option. The afterlife didn't look like a blindingly white hospital. Or at least she hoped it didn't.

There was a figure beside her. Nya sat up slowly. Her body felt sore and dull but not pained. The figure turned to face her, revealing herself to be an android. Pale white skin, bright green eyes, and a neutral expression. Curved eyelashes marked the android to be a female model, along with the silver hair sculpted into a loose ponytail.

Nya drank the details greedily. She'd never seen an android _this_ close.

"Please do not move." The android ordered. Nya obeyed, relaxing her body against the pillows.

"Where am I?" Nya finally dared to ask, as the android continued to work quietly.

"I am not authorized to answer that."

"What happened?" Nya tried again, certain that she could find _something_ out. Her memories felt a little fuzzy, blurred with whatever pain killer they were pumping through her body. She remembered the prison. She remembered Jay. And she remembered the warm blood beneath her shaking fingers.

"You were wounded." The android answered, giving as little information as possible.

"Yeah, no kidding." Nya shut her eyes, mouth turned up into a pout. "So who _is_ authorized to answer my questions properly?"

The android didn't answer, and Nya wondered if she'd managed to somehow annoy her. But when she reopened her eyes, the android had simply gone. "Oh. Well. Not like she was much help anyway."

"You must forgive her. She is usually very helpful. But I told her not to say much. I would rather do the honors myself." Nya searched for the source of the new voice. She recognized the man instantly. Wu. ECHO's famed owner. And Garmadon's brother. "Hello, Nya. It's very nice to meet you in person. I'm Wu."

"Yes," Nya said. "I know that. But how do you know who _I_ am?"

"As I'm sure you know, you aren't quite average." Wu gave her a small smile, as if they both shared a secret joke. "You're special, Nya. So of course I know who you are. I have been looking for you for quite a long time."

"Why?" Nya forced herself to sit up, despite the android's previous request to stay still. The world dipped momentarily, as her mind adjusted.

"Why? Answers will come in good time." Wu sat on a chair beside her bed, hands clasped with one another. "And before they do, I actually have a couple of questions for you. Concerning my brother."

Nya stayed silent.

"Do you, by any chance, know where he might wind up?"

Nya shook her head.

"Can you tell me _why_ you, your brother and Jay thought it was a good idea to get him out?" Wu's knowledge chilled her, and she was glad for the support the bed beneath her provided. "You're aware he's dangerous."

"It was a job." Nya shrugged, trying to coat herself in nonchalance.

"And who asked you to do so?"

"I'm not authorized to tell you that." She smirked.

Surprisingly enough, the old man smiled back at her. "Ah. Well I'm going to go ahead and take a wild guess. Was it my nephew? Lloyd?"

Nya didn't speak, but the shift in her eyes was answer enough.

"Yes, when I heard he'd run away form his boarding school, I figured he might try to do something of the sort. But I didn't expect it to work. Just as I didn't expect young Lloyd to bring _you_ , of all people, into it."

"I had really thought I would never see you again. But now that I know you all still reside in Ninjago. . . Well, I can assure you, Nya, you'll be reunited with your brother soon enough. Then I promise I will answer all your questions."

Many words bubbled inside Nya's throat, blocking each other. In the end, she could say nothing as the old man left the room. She crumpled back against the bed.

"Kai," she said, wishing sibling telepathy was one of her abilities. "Please don't try anything stupid."

* * *

"We can't go back to my place," Kai said.

"We can't go to _mine_ ," Jay said. "I'm not bringing my parents into this."

"We need to stop somewhere. Lloyd has not eaten in several hours, and he is in need of rest as well." Zane pointed out. Lloyd scowled, trying to erase the exhaustion from his face as he hopped off the boat. But Zane was right.

"We could go to Dareth's." Kai shrugged. "At least for tonight."

" _Can_ you trust him?" Garmadon said. "I would not like to be thrown back into Kryptarium hours after the escape, because we placed our faith on the wrong man."

"Dareth is fine," Kai said. "He's not the sharpest tool in the shed, but he'd never turn on anyone. We can trust him."

"For all of our sakes, I hope you're right," Garmadon responded, and Jay nodded along with his words.

They moved together. It had taken them the rest of the day to find Ninjago's shores, and now the night covered them as they walked. The streets were mostly empty by now, and no one gave them more than a half glance. Kai wondered how they would react if they knew they were walking right past Ninjago's most wanted.

Jay's eyes kept shifting every so often, as his mind momentarily forgot about Cole's absence. Each time there was nothing more than empty space beside him, his heart crumpled all over again. He kept his hands shoved deep into his pockets, hiding the small sparks triggered by his emotions.

He wanted to believe Cole was fine. Wanted to believe he'd been held back in the prison, and _not_ wiped out of existence by Nya's power. But there were far too many negative possibilities for him to relax. Too many outcomes where his friend ended up gone forever.

But these worries weren't the worst part. The worst part was that Jay was already having trouble calling up his friend's features. The more his emotions ran wild, the more the lightning rattled through him. And the more the lighting rattled through him, the more memories it erased.

And of course, the broken memories stirred up his emotions all over again.

It was an endless cycle. Jay had never really thought about how much he'd needed Cole's constant presence. He wished he'd listened to his friend's advice. Wished he'd never gotten caught up with this mess in the first place.

They reached the dojo. Kai stepped forward, standing between Garmadon and the doorway. To block the man from Dareth's view from as long as possible. He trusted Dareth not to give them away, but he didn't trust the man _not_ to freak out and give a reaction that would accidentally put them all in the spotlight.

He gave a swift knock. There was no answer. Kai knocked again, a bit more desperately.

This time the door _did_ open. Dareth stood in the doorway, dressed in loose silk pajamas. His eyes were more shut than open, and his hair was messier than Kai had ever seen it.

" _Hey_ Dareth." Kai forced a smile. "Do you think we could crash here for the night? Me and my. . . friends?"

"Yeah, sure, sure." Dareth yawned. Kai wondered if his decision was conscious, or his mind was still drugged with sleep. He stepped aside, and they all filed in quickly. Dareth shut the door, freezing momentarily before turning around. His eyes were wide now, red but awake. "Kai! _Kai!_ What are you doing here? You were all over the news! You and your sister, and that boy, with my uniform. They didn't have the tall, blond guy though. Sorry."

Dareth gave Zane an apologetic look.

"We were on TV?" Jay shuddered. "Oh that's bad. That's _so_ bad. My parents. . ."

"I recorded it!" Dareth pushed the others aside, then waved them further into the dojo, to a small room. "I have so _many_ questions. Like you, uniform boy, how did you do that thing? With the sparks? It almost looked like. . . superpowers."

"Let's just take a look." Garmadon smirked at the idea of the stress Wu was most likely under, now that everyone in Ninjago knew of his escape.

"Sure, sure." Dareth nodded, flicking the TV on. As he maneuvered through the menus, he turned back to Garmadon. He then frowned. "'You're Garmadon"

"I am."

Dareth turned to Kai. "You brought _Garmadon_ here? Oh boy."

"We're only staying the night, we promise." Kai reassured him. "We won't cause any trouble."

"If it were up to me, I'd let you stay as long as you needed. But I don't know how safe you'd be. I don't exactly have a top notch security system. Aside from my own skills, I mean." Dareth finally stopped at the right recording. He pressed play.

 _Earlier today, Ninjago's worst nightmares came true._ The anchorwoman spoke over a recording of Kryptarium prison. Jay flinched at the damaged he'd caused. _Many of Kryptarium's guards were injured as a group of people worked to free Garmadon from within. It is unfortunate to say that they succeeded not only in this, but in also allowing some other inmates to make their escape as well._

"Whoops." Lloyd said.

 _The names of those who escaped are still being kept private, but the moment the facts are released we will be sure to give you all an update._ The video switched, now showing a video of the courtyard. Jay recognized himself, running in a panic through the ocean of people. _This is an exclusive video from the break in itself. It shows some very incomprehensible images. Well. . . It's best if you see for yourself._

The shower of lightning began. Jay watched each hit, terrified by how easy it was for his power to destroy. The camera switched again, to the outside of the prison. He saw himself coated in lightning, running faster than should have been humanly possible.

Then there was Nya. With a flick of her arm, water phased into existence, blocking the path. Jay saw his own lightning drop into the water, making the blockade deadly. Then they were running again.

A couple of guards crumpled as they came in contact with the water. Others waited for the electricity to fade before continuing the pursuit. There were no cameras near the beach. The moment Nya was shot happened off-screen, but the large wave she'd formed to save them was visible.

 _Only one of the culprits was taken down, the one who seemed to. . . create water. Nya Smith was taken into custody, but was soon released into ECHO's hands, so Ninjago's top minds might begin to understand the strange occurrence._

Nya's ID picture flashed onto the screen. Kai's hands balled into fists. Relief rattled through him knowing she'd survived but . . . _Released into ECHO's hands_. Locked up to become a science experiment. Kai cursed himself silently, for ever thinking accepting Lloyd's request had been a good idea.

 _Nya Smith worked closely with her brother, Kai Smith_. This time an image of himself covered the screen. _His whereabouts are currently unknown, and he is suspected to have taken part in the break-in._

 _Jay Walker was identified as another one of the people responsible for setting Garmadon free_. Jay's face flashed on screen. He looked down. _He currently lived with both of his parents in the outskirts of Ninjago. They both refused to comment on the situation._

 _This is all the information we have-_

Dareth paused the video. He turned around to face everyone. "So . . . Do I get an explanation?"

Lloyd spoke first, crossing his arms and standing protectively before his father. Although he was fairly shorter than Dareth, the man felt as if _he_ was the one that was being looked down upon. "My dad is innocent. We had to get him out. Then we're going to prove he didn't deserve to be in there."

"Oh." Dareth found he didn't know what to say. "And the video? With the superpowers?"

"We have those, yes." Lloyd gave a small nod.

"Well. . . I guess that explains that." Dareth shrugged. "Anyone up for some noodles? I hope so. That's all I have."

* * *

With a belly filled with warm food, Lloyd's eyelids grew impossibly heavy.

He was leaning against his father's chest, trying to take up as little space as possible. They were all squished together, as Dareth's dojo didn't have much space to give. Lloyd yawned, slowly shutting his eyes.

"Lloyd."

At the sound of his father's voice, his eyes snapped open. He turned his head. "Yeah?"

"We need to talk about the note you sent me."

"Oh." Lloyd tried to remember exactly what he'd written. The voice. He'd mentioned that.

"This. . . presence. In your mind. What do you know about it?"

 _It's strong. Stronger than anything. It gives me the power to do whatever I could imagine. But the more I use it the more it can control me. I don't know what it wants._ Lloyd thought the words. He could practically _taste_ the words. But they didn't emerge. His voice decided to say something else instead.

"It's weak. It hasn't said anything since we rescued you." Lloyd tried to frown, tried to give his father any sort of signal that _those weren't his words_. "I guess maybe it's gone. Maybe I panicked a little. I just. . . I wanted to be with you."

Instead of his father's eyes swelling with emotion, they narrowed with suspicion. If Lloyd was in control of himself, he would have beamed. _My father's smarter than you._

 _We'll see._

"I know I shouldn't have run away." The voice lied. "But I hated it there. I wish. . . I wish mom hadn't left. I wish you could have been there."

It was a low blow, most of all with the shaky tone the Overlord had given Lloyd's voice. Garmadon's eyes shifted away, guilt overwhelming most of his emotions. He hugged Lloyd tighter to himself. "I'm sorry son. I'm really sorry."

"So what are we going to do?"

Garmadon sighed. "I don't want to spend the rest of my life on the run. We need to get to ECHO. We need to find a way to _prove_ I did not do the things everyone is so sure I did."

"Get to ECHO." Lloyd yawned, even though his mind was now wide awake. "Okay. . . We can do that, right dad?"

"Of course." Garmadon ran a hand through his son's hair. Lloyd wanted to scream. "Now sleep. We'll worry about the next step tomorrow."

"Okay." Lloyd's eyes shut.

He didn't know how long his mind remained conscious, how long he struggled against the puppeteer in his mind, controlling his every move. But the presence within him never let up, keeping Lloyd a prisoner inside his own body.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Cole moved as fast as he could, fighting the heavy fatigue dragging his body down.

Dragging it down quite literally. With each step, his feet sunk _into_ the ground, making it impossible for him to stop moving. He'd never had a problem walking before, despite his obvious un-solidity. But after taking control of a body for so long, exhaustion was caused unwanted side effects.

Flashes of lightning brightened the cloudy island at random intervals, and the sound of thunder enveloped him. He hoped his friend was okay. He hated leaving him behind.

Nya ran past him, a determined look etched upon her features. Behind her, the rising tide followed, flooding the beach and blocking Cole's path. The ghost cursed, stumbling backwards before the water could reach his feet.

"So the boat's out. That's great." Cole muttered under his breath as he walked back up the path, to the prison. He would have to take the main bridge back to Ninjago. And then, well, then he would be lost.

He spotted Jay, a bright blob of lightning zooming through the island. Cole attempted to catch his friend's attention, but it was in vain. Even when Jay stopped moving, his mind seemed to be too wired to pick up on anything.

Nya reached him, then steered his overenergetic movements toward the beach. Once convinced that at the very least, Jay would be safe, Cole turned away. He followed the bridge back into the city, effortlessly gliding through every obstacle.

Slowly, Cole's energy returned. Then his feet stopped sinking.

Cole scanned the buildings and streets, eyes begging for a familiar sight. He recognized nothing. Jay and him didn't venture too far from their usual patterns, and Cole's memories of his own life were few and far between.

It was going to be a _long_ day. And possibly a long night.

"Well. At least I don't need to sleep." Cole tried to force a laugh, but the sound was chocked and tired. With a deep, determined breath, he continued to walk forward.

* * *

The next time Nya woke, she was in a different room altogether.

There was no pain. No dullness. If she was honest with herself, her body felt healthier than it had in _years_. Which should have been impossible, considering she'd been shot no less than a couple of hours ago.

Or. . . That's what her mind told her. But for all she knew, she could have been unconscious for a long time. A desperate need to know the date rattled her, and she fumbled out of the bed. Her body tangled itself in the sheets. In the struggle, Nya fell back.

When she hit the floor, a door opened, and in came the android from before.

Nya straightened her clothes, finally realizing they were _not_ her own. Loose white shirt, and loose white pants framed her body. The fabric was soft and comfortable, but she hated the unfamiliarity of it. Hated being in a disadvantaged position, with absolutely no proper knowledge of her situation.

"It's you again." Nya said, as the android stopped before her. In her hands, the android carried a tray filled with warm, sweet-smelling treats. Nya's stomach grumbled, but she ignored it. "Are you _authorized_ to answer my questions yet?"

"I will assist you as much as I can." The android set the tray down, then stood still, awaiting instruction.

"Good." Nya nodded, but remained silent for a few moments. There were too many answers she needed, and the words flew in and out of her grasp. She was surprised by the first question that _did_ make it past her lips. "What's your name?"

The android was equally startled, eyes widening ever so slightly before returning to their neutral position. "If you are in need of me, you may address me as Pixal."

"I'm Nya. But you probably already knew that."

"Nya Smith. Sister to Kai Smith. Owner of a small repair shop at the edge of Ninjago City."

"That about sums it up." Nya nodded. "Okay. . . How long have I been here?"

"You were brought in yesterday afternoon at about 1600 hundred hours. It has now been approximately 15 hours since then."

" _Fifteen_?" Nya shook hear head. That was impossible. She fumbled with her shirt, lifting it to peek at the wound the bullet was sure to have left. There was nothing. No bandages. No scars. _Nothing_. "How. . . I was shot. I know I didn't imagine that. What the _heck_ is going on!?"

"ECHO has experimented with and developed several advanced medical procedures. The damage from a bullet wound is easily repaired."

"Seriously?" Nya was impressed. _Beyond_ impressed. She couldn't begin to imagine the possibilities of a world where a gunshot wound was as severe as a papercut. Curiosity threatened to engulf her, but a different thought set in. She shook her head. "ECHO hasn't said anything about this. This is _huge_. It could help a lot of people."

"That is correct."

"So why are you hoarding it all to yourselves?"

"I am only an assistant. I have no knowledge of this subject."

Nya pouted. Her stomach grumbled again, a bit more forcefully. She supposed there was no point in _not_ eating. Going on a hunger strike wasn't going to get her any closer to finding a way out. She reached for one of the warm pastries. It crumbled and melted in her mouth, sending a shiver of pleasure through her.

"What other secret projects does ECHO have going on?" Nya asked. A thought sparked up in her mind, and she looked straight into Pixal's eyes, hoping to catch some sort of expression. "Any sort of. . . human experiments? Something that would allow a person to do the impossible?"

Pixal's eyes remained as vacant as ever. "I am not authorized to answer that."

Nya scowled. She was going to get tired of that phrase _fast_.

* * *

Jay couldn't sleep.

His mind drifted in and out of consciousness, jolting him awake every time he managed to go under. Warning bells were going off in his mind, letting him know _something_ was wrong. Something was out of place. Something was missing.

Something he shouldn't have been able to forget.

He shifted his body, frowning in concentration.

Not something. Someone.

"Cole!" Jay jumped into a sitting position, hair standing to an end, reacting to the static he'd created around himself. Cole. How could he have forgotten Cole? Even if it had been only for a moment. It was wrong.

Jay stood, slowly, careful not to stir anyone awake. Sparks hopped around his arms. He willed them away before stepping outside.

It was a risk, even if it was only early morning. But he needed fresh air. Needed to breathe. Needed to _not_ forget.

He sat in front of the door, head resting against his folded knees.

Seconds, minutes, or hours passed. Jay wasn't in tune with the passage of time. He was more concerned with reviewing as many memories as he could, mumbling random facts to himself now and again.

"Cole likes cake. Or at least he thinks he does."

"Cole enjoys music. But. . . Not singing."

"Cole's. . ." Jay bit his lip, trying to think of something else. When he couldn't, he settled for the obvious. "Cole's a ghost."

"Is this some sort of best friend trivia practice?" A soothingly familiar voice teased. "Because if so, you're not very good. Those are some _basic_ facts. You need to get deep. Like what's my favorite shade of grass?"

"Cole!" Jay's head shot up, shouting far louder than he'd intended. He studied his friend intently, willing himself to commit every feature to memory. "Cole. Where'd you go? What happened?"

"Whoa, whoa, are you _crying_?" Cole chuckled, plopping down beside his friend.

" _Of course_ I am! I thought you were gone!" Jay wiped the light tears away from his eyes. "I thought I'd forget you!"

"Yeah, maybe don't _shout_ to yourself so much." Cole's eyes scanned their surroundings, but the street was empty. "After all you _are_ a wanted criminal now."

"So you saw the news?"

"No. I went to your parent's house though, while I was trying to find you. Place is packed with cops. So I figured you're right up there with Garmadon."

"Crap. _Crap._ My parents are probably worried sick. I wish I could. . . Tell them I'm okay." Jay's fingers tapped against his leg furiously, stomach twisting at the thought of his parents. Who'd trusted him _not_ to get in trouble, then woken up to see their son participate in a jailbreak. "Seriously though. What happened to you?"

"Nya happened." Cole explained. "She made the ocean go bananas. I couldn't get to the boat. So I had to go the long way, but I was lost for a while. Once I found the junkyard, I went to Kai and Nya's shop from there. It was crawling with cops too. Then I remembered this place. Took a couple of wrong turns on the way here, but I made it in the end."

"And with good timing. We're leaving as soon as everyone's awake," Jay said. "But _Cole_. Garmadon. He knows something about us! He said we grew up together."

"Huh." Cole blinked, eyes drifting away from his friend. He spotted a couple of figures moving behind windows, and a couple of others begin to emerge from the buildings around them. He nudged Jay's shoulder. "You should probably get inside."

Jay nodded, keeping his head low as he re-entered Dareth's Dojo.

* * *

"We need to get to ECHO. That's what we need to do." Kai's eyes glowered, daring the others to shut him down. He crossed his arms. "Getting Nya back is a priority."

"Getting inside ECHO is important." Garmadon agreed, then continued, not at all intimated by Kai's attitude. "But doing so right _now_ is impossible. We barely escaped the prison. Attempting to get into ECHO would solve nothing. You all need time to understand your powers better. To come up with a proper plan."

"I agree with Garmadon." Zane nodded. The older man's suggestion was sound and logical. And yet, instead of agreeing, Kai only seemed to become enraged. "I understand that your sister is important. But we are simply uncapable of getting her."

"No, we're not." Kai hissed. "It's risky, yeah, but we have to try. The longer we wait. . . Who _knows_ what they'll do to her?"

"My brother won't harm her." Garmadon reassured.

"And why should I trust your word about that?"

"He is my brother. I _know_ him."

Kai only scowled. He turned to Jay. "Jay. We need to get Nya out. You know that. She went back for _you_. You owe her this."

"We'll get her out." Jay muttered. "But Garmadon is right. We can't do it _now_. We. . . We need time."

"Good to see not _all_ of you are empty headed." Garmadon said. "I know of a place, where we could hide. A secret lab underneath Birchwood forest. Wu would have no knowledge of it. We plan there, and I can tell you all I know."

"Haa, that forest just keeps coming up, doesn't it." Jay chuckled weakly.

"Secret lab?" Zane questioned, thinking back to the words Lloyd had said to him before. About him being an Android.

"Okay. You head off and camp in your happy little forest." Kai hissed, uncrossing his arms. He turned, stomping to the front door. " _I'm_ getting my sister back."

Garmadon rolled his eyes, but did nothing to stop him. Jay and Lloyd followed the teen through the hall. " _Wait,_ Kai. You can't be serious."

"ECHO is crazy guarded!" Lloyd agreed. "You'll never get anywhere!"

"We'll see."

With rough movements, Kai stepped into the city.

* * *

"Kai Smith. Jay Walker. Garmadon, and his little son."

"Yes." Wu nodded. "Think you're up to the task, Ronin?"

"I don't know. Depends on the reward." Ronin smirked. "I'm sure you've got plenty to offer, Wu."

"You bring them to me, I'll give you whatever you ask for."

"I'm an expensive man, Wu." Ronin chuckled. "And those fugitives seem like quite the handful."

"I'm quite aware." Wu nodded. "And I've prepared something to make the job a little easier."

Wu leaned forward, pressing a small button on his desk. "Pixal, please bring in the materials for Ronin."

 _Right away sir._ A voice replied. Seconds later, Pixal walked into the spacious office, a box in hand. She set it down upon Wu's desk. With a light bow, she retreated back out of the room.

Ronin stepped forward. He eyed the box with greed, wondering at the worth of whatever was inside. Wu gave him an annoyingly knowing smile. He then opened the box and turned it towards the bounty hunter.

"Uh." Ronin was disappointed. "Bracelets?"

"Indeed." Wu chuckled. "But not normal bracelets. This _is_ ECHO after all. We don't exactly do normal, do we?"

"I supposed you don't." Ronin reached inside, fingers clasping around one of the three bracelets. Made from a dark metal, It didn't seem particularly impressive. He tossed it back into the box. "So what do they do?"

"Stabilize." Wu stated. Ronin looked at him blankly, waiting for the old man to elaborate. "I won't bore you with the details. But as you said, the fugitives aren't exactly average. The materials in these bracelets, however, will stabilize the energy within them, to normal levels. Nullifying their abilities."

Ronin give a low whistle. "Sweet. That still leaves the problem of getting them to wear it. I doubt they'll let me slip it on their wrists."

"Well, Ronin." Wu grabbed a bracelet, flicking a hidden switch to snap it open. "How good is your aim?"

Wu threw the bracelet expertly, hitting Ronin's wrist. It clasped shut as soon as it came in contact with the man's skin. Ronin smiled slyly.

"I must say, my aim is _excellent_."

* * *

Birchwood forest. Zane walked slowly, feeling odd as he returned to the beginning of his story.

Each step became more familiar than the last. Zane was sure the path Garmadon was taking would lead to the _exact_ spot where his memories begun. He wondered what kind of answers he would find.

Zane quickened his step when he noticed he was being left behind. He walked to Jay, who seemed more uncomfortable than usual. Zane matched his steps. "Are you alright?"

"Hmm?" Jay blinked. It took him a moment to focus on Zane. "Oh. Yes. No. I don't know. Why?"

"You seem out of sorts." Zane pointed out. "Does this forest mean something to you?"

"Kind of." Zane saw a flash of guilt in Jay's eyes as they connected with his own. He waited for the blue-eyed teen to elaborate, but he did not.

"It means something to me as well. As I said, this is the first thing I remember."

"Yeah. . ." Jay cleared his throat. "You mentioned that."

"I hope Garmadon is being truthful, and that we find answers here."

"Me too. And I hope Kai doesn't get himself caught."

"He will."

Jay laughed at the brutal honesty, shaking his head. "Wow. Okay. You _could_ try to be hopeful and say he'll get Nya out and safely meet us back here. Where we'll all learn about our powers and live happily ever after."

Zane frowned. "That is very unlikely."

"I know but. . ." Jay shrugged. "Positive thinking. It helps. Sometimes."

"Even if it is only a lie?"

Jay laughed again. "Yeah."

For a moment, the only sound was the crunching snow beneath their feet. The Jay spoke up again. "So why _did_ you decide to stick with us anyway? I wanted to ask earlier but I've been a little busy freaking out about everything."

"Well, our obvious connection helped cement my decision. But at first, it simply felt right." Zane thought back to the small repair shop, where he'd first decided to stick with the others. The feeling of belonging had been with him since the beginning, even before the others had revealed their powers.

"Nice." Jay shivered, tightening his light jacket around himself. "I wish _my_ decisions felt right."

They stopped walking. Garmadon stood still before a tree that was three times the size as any of the others surrounding it. He ran his roughened hand over the trunk, carefully searching for something upon its surface. Zane watched the man's eyes light up as his palm came to a stop.

The loud sound of groaning metal moved through the silent woods. The trunk of the tree swung open, revealing a thick darkness inside.

Garmadon turned back to the others, taking his son's hand. "Well. Let's go."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Kai did not have a plan.

Not that it mattered. What were plans good for, anyway? They never worked. Something or other always came up, ruining everything. Plans were _useless_. Yeah. Kai was better off thinking on his feet.

Problem was, he couldn't do that either. Kai was worried about his sister, angry at the others for letting him go alone, and yes, he admitted to himself, terrified of the task at hand. The emotions made his brain fuzzy and unreliable. It was impossible to think.

Yet Kai was determined to do something. Anything. He raised the hood of his red jacket over his head, covering as much of himself as he could. His face had been spread throughout Ninjago and, if Kai wasn't careful, someone was bound to recognize him.

Each step brought him closer to ECHO. Closer to his sister.

Maybe all he needed to do was catch them off guard. Fire could do a lot of damage. And despite what Garmadon may have thought of him, he had an incredible amount of control over his flames. Everyone now knew of Jay and Nya's abilities, but his own remained a secret. He was a wild card.

With the element of surprise, many things could be done.

"Nice jacket. Where'd you get it?"

Kai's face involuntarily flicked up to the voice. A man stood before him, with long brown hair and the shadow of a beard framing his face. There was a strange eyepatch over one of his eyes, but the uncovered eye did not flicker with recognition. Kai allowed himself to relax.

"I don't know," he answered honestly. "Don't remember."

"Well that's a bummer." The man gave a nonchalant shrug. He resumed his walk. As he walked past Kai, something flashed towards Kai's wrist. Kai caught the movement. Reflexes tended to improve when you worked alongside criminals.

He twisted himself away just in time, then stumbled to a stop in front of the man.

"Now _that's_ a real bummer. I was hoping we could make this easy. I'm not a fan of doing more than I have to." In the man's hand, a dark bracelet winked up at him. Kai had no idea what it was, nor what it was for, but he was in no hurry to find out.

"Make what easy? What do you want?" As Kai spoke, his eyes moved to both sides of the street. No people. No cars. Nothing but himself, and the strange man. How had he not picked up on his empty surroundings sooner?

"Me, personally? I just want to get paid. My client though, he wants _you_."

"Too bad." Kai smirked, then waved an arm forward, sending a wall of flame toward the stranger. Then he turned and ran, thinking of nothing other than getting away.

He didn't get far. Something tangled itself over his feet, causing him to trip forward. Kai skidded against the pavement, hissing under his breath as the skin on his hands and cheek scraped away. Without missing a beat, he turned over onto his back, reaching to burn the rope tying his feet together.

The fire destroyed the material easily, licking over the skin on his legs without causing any harm. His jeans were not so lucky. They singed at the bottom, with an uncomfortable smell. Kai coughed lightly at the smoke, quickly moving to stand.

He readied himself to run, but then spotted the stranger again, blocking the street ahead of him with an overbearingly large vehicle. Kai groaned to himself. "How did you. . ?"

Instead of finishing the question, Kai shook his head and repositioned his body, turning into an alley. Kai knew Ninjago's backstreets like the back of his hand. He could lose one man, no problem.

Making a mental map of his current location, he planned the best escape route. A right. Then a left. Then a tunnel would be waiting for him, where it would be child's play to hide away.

Except. . . There _was_ no right.

The alley was blocked by a tall wall, a wall Kai could have sworn had _not_ existed before. He bounced on his heels, trying to think, trying to find himself a way out, but the only way out was to turn back, to go straight through and past the stranger.

"Through him it is," Kai whispered to himself, flickering flames onto the palms of his hands. He allowed them to travel up his arms, burning away the red fabric of his jacket. "Let him try and catch _fire_."

Kai walked at a calm pace, saving his breath for when he really needed it. He made a new path in his mind, hoping that no other surprises would force him to turn back. The man entered the alley, his walk just as calm as Kai's own.

"Changed your mind about running?" The man laughed. "Nice to see someone cooperating, for once."

"Yeah, no." Kai willed his flames to grow. A wolfish smile tugged at his lips, enjoying the feeling of his power.

"Hmm. Well, if you want to do this the hard way." The man leveled a gun at Kai's body. "Fine by me."

Kai squinted at the weapon, wondering how fast he could melt a bullet. The stranger studied his expression, then gave a light shake of his head. "Oh no. Don't stress. It's only a tranquilizer. It'll make you easier to deal with."

"Right. Good luck with that." Kai scowled, as the man shot.

Although the darts were fast, Kai's fire was faster. He burned them through easily, with nothing more than a few crafty movements. The man continued to shoot, but Kai doubted he had enough ammunition to tire out Kai's ability. He was unstoppable.

His focus solely on the gun, Kai failed to see the movement of the man's other hand. A dark, sharp glint. The bracelet. It took only a well-timed flick of the man's arm for it to shoot forward, connecting with Kai's wrist and tightening.

The flames died in an instant. Kai stumbled back, dazed by the sudden loss. A large part of him felt empty, causing a panicked sensation to tighten his chest. Kai reached for the bracelet, tugging at the metal. It didn't budge.

"What did you. . . What _is_. . .?" Kai couldn't speak. He willed his flames forward, again, and again, to no avail. They were gone. _They were gone_.

Kai could still fight. He could still get away. He and his sister had sparred countless times. They couldn't exactly rely on their powers when they were supposed to be a secret. Sharpening their self-defense had been an important part of dealing with low-life criminals.

By the time Kai had fumbled through the panic and confusion, however, the stranger had already pulled the trigger one last time.

There was a sharp pain on Kai's neck, accompanied by a blur of frustration.

Then, there was nothing.

* * *

Lloyd hopped into the darkness first, eager and curious.

Lights flickered to life, reacting to his movements. He ran forward with more confidence, eyes jumping through everything as fast as they could. Charts with things he didn't understand filled the walls. Strange and unique contraptions littered the corners of the lab. At the far end of it all, almost as an afterthought, was a small bed.

The others followed closely behind him, all as enraptured by everything as he had been. All except his father, who seemed to be comfortably familiar with the place.

Lloyd watched Zane approach one of the tables hesitantly. His hands shook with emotion as he studied the papers upon it. Lloyd stepped closer. They were blueprints of Zane's own body. The android stood still for a moment, before leaning heavily against the surface of the table.

"I. . ." His voice was soft. Lloyd patted the man's back softly. "You were telling the truth."

Lloyd nodded.

"How did you _know?_ "

Lloyd opened his mouth to formulate a clever explanation, but Jay saved him the trouble. He approached them and gasped loudly, eyes flickering from Zane, to the blueprints. His expression grew more and more horrified.

" _You're an android?_ " Jay's voice was loud and shrill. " _A robot?_ No way. No way! I didn't. . . wow. That's- _wow_. What?"

Lloyd punched Jay's shoulder none too lightly. "Yes. He's a robot. So what?"

"So. . . nothing." Jay pouted, rubbing the spot Lloyd had hit. "It was just. . . surprising is all. But that's cool. It's cool. You're really cool, Zane. And I don't mean that in like, a joking 'oh look he's got ice powers' way. I mean in a. . . You're chill. Dang it. I mean-"

"He gets it." Lloyd rolled his eyes.

Zane shoved the blueprints, taking a shaky step away from the table. He then turned to Garmadon. "Dr. Julien, the man you mentioned on the boat, is he the man who built me?"

Garmadon nodded nonchalantly, retrieving bits of canned goods from one of the shelves. "He is. He and I worked together, once. He is a brilliant man. Or. . . was. I don't know what became of him. I had hoped he would be here but. . ."

Zane nodded slowly. Trying to digest the information as best as he could. It was one thing to hear what he was from the mouth of a child, and another to see it with his own eyes.

Garmadon set the food down on one of the tables, then turned to face them. His eyes slid from Zane to Jay and, finally, to Lloyd's small figure. "He built you, Zane, to protect the very people you somehow found your way to. Julien knew we wouldn't be. . . wouldn't exactly be able to stick around. So he built you, to do that for us."

"I guess . . . something didn't go right." Garmadon shook his head and shrugged. "If he'd finished, you would have known the story, would have known exactly what to do. But you don't, do you?"

"I do not." Zane frowned. He was beginning to feel a bit overwhelmed. He could sense the missing pieces of information within him.

"But if _Julien_ never finished, then who did? Who got you up and running?" Garmadon seemed to be talking more to himself than to them now, fingers tapping against the counter. "Borg never knew of this place. At the very least I hope he doesn't. Because if he does, it won't be long until he tells Wu. In that case, we'd have to keep moving. But _where_?"

"It was me."

The voice had been soft, but the empty spaces through the lab made it loud enough to hear. Everyone turned toward Jay. He blinked slowly, then looked to Zane with a wide smile.

"It was me!"

"I. . . do not understand."

Jay hugged Zane tightly, beaming with joy as a weight was lifted from him. "This forest! It's where I first discovered my powers. I had a pretty horrible outburst of electricity. And when _you_ said that the last thing you remembered was this place, I thought, 'oh no! I wiped his memory clean'. But no! I woke you! You don't remember anything because there _was_ nothing to remember!"

Jay stepped back again, the bouncy attitude slowly fading as he studied Zane. There was a very human-like sadness reflected in the android's eyes. "There. . . is nothing to remember."

Zane looked up at Jay, then at the others. "Please excuse me. I . . . need a moment."

With his head lowered, Zane climbed back up to the lab's exit, each footfall feeling heavier than the last.

* * *

For lack of any ideas on how to escape, Nya found herself spending her time questioning Pixal.

At first, Nya had only wanted to milk as many clues from the android as she could. Then she'd woken up with a metal bracelet that had the strange ability to block her powers, making escape all but impossible. This made her questions more about satisfying her own curiosity, than to form a clever master plan.

"So you've been in ECHO your whole life?" Nya asked, swishing water in a cup longingly.

"Yes." Pixal answered, short and to the point as always.

"You ever think about. . . leaving?"

"Of course not." There was a slightly offended tone at the suggestion. Nya grinned. Androids were amusingly loyal. "My place is here."

"Sure, but it doesn't have to be." Nya put the cup down, focusing instead on the bracelet around her wrist. The material was light, and somewhat pleasant to look at, but she hated it with every bone in her body. "Another question. Why make me wear this? If Wu is so incredibly nice, why does he feel the need to do this?"

"You have broken an extensive amount of laws throughout your life. However, Wu does not wish for you to spend time in Kyrptarium. This is the best option. The bracelet is to assure you will not harm those with the job of guarding you."

Nya nodded. It made sense. It was fair. She _was_ a criminal, after all. And as far as criminals went, she had no doubt she'd won the jail lottery. Wu had allowed her the freedom to wander throughout the floor her room was in, so she wouldn't feel too cooped up while he. . .

While he _what_ , exactly? Nya still had absolutely no idea what his part in all of this was. Did he want to find a way to smooth over her track of criminal activities, so she and her brother could go back to their own lives? Did he only want to lure the others and Garmadon towards ECHO? Or did he simply want to keep her here forever?

She didn't know. And couldn't know. Pixal wouldn't answer anything concerning that, and Nya hadn't seen much of Wu himself .

"Any news on the others?"

"Yes." Pixal gave a small nod. "Ronin just contacted Wu. Kai has been captured. He will be here soon. Wu only needs to speak to him first."

Nya was disappointed, but not at all surprised. She was sure her brother had tried to be heroic, any sort of sense blocked by his worry for her. Well, Nya would welcome the company. Pixal was pleasant enough, but she yearned for any sort of familiarity.

"What about Jay? Garmadon? Lloyd? Zane?" Nya listed the names quickly, knowing Pixal's sharply constructed mind wouldn't miss a beat. The android shut her eyes, gathering information from an unknown source. When she reopened her eyes, her answer was no answer at all, instead it was a question.

"Who is Zane?"

Nya bit her lip, feeling extremely foolish. By now, she'd seen the news report showcasing their wild heist. Zane had not been spotted, and neither did he have any sort of connection to them. He'd slipped away, scot-free.

"No one." Nya shrugged.

"There are no records of anyone named Zane in my data base." Pixal frowned, showing more expression than Nya had ever seen. "Please. Who is Zane?"

"Like I said," Nya said, with a somewhat giddy tone. "No one."

Pixal didn't believe her, of course, but there was nothing the android could do. Nothing but pass the knowledge on to Wu.

The door to the room opened. Kai stepped inside, wearing clothes that matched Nya's own. Nya's body shot up from her seat, and she rushed to hug her brother. "Kai!"

"Nya," Kai smiled, returning the gesture. "You're okay."

"Surprisingly enough, yes," Nya said. "And you're here. With me. Inside ECHO."

"I _tried_ to get you out. That's got to count for something." Kai fidgeted with his sleeves. Nya spotted a matching bracelet around his wrist. "Just had some. . . complications."

"I see." Nya rolled her eyes, then lifted her hand, flashing the dark metal at her brother's eyes. "Look. We're matching."

" _Great_."

Pixal took a step back. "I will leave you two. If you are in need of me, please call. Wu would like you to know that he will join you for dinner."

With her usual half-bow half-nod, Pixal slipped out of the room. The door shut behind her, and Kai's eyes snapped back to his sister. "Do you have any idea what the _heck_ is going on? What does ECHO want with us? I thought. . . I thought they had you locked up like a guinea pig, not a guest of honor."

"Regardless of the room, we're still very much prisoners." Nya waved the conversation away, more concerned with Kai's side of the story. "But what happened to _you?_ Where are the others?"

"Birc-" Kai stopped himself, squinting his eyes and glancing around the room. He had no doubt ECHO had the technology to survey their every word. "They're heading somewhere, and they're safe."

Nya nodded, understanding Kai's hesitation.

"No one wanted to come help me get you out, so we got separated."

"Of course no one wanted to help you. You're an idiot."

"Thanks." Kai ignored the insult, continuing on. "But there's something else. Something Garmadon said. He _does_ know about us. He said we'd grown up together. You, me, Jay, and even _Cole_."

"Whoa." Nya had guessed they were connected somehow, but she hadn't expected the roots between them to grow so deep. "We must have been really young. I can't remember anything."

"Same."

"I hope Wu truly does give us _some_ answers."

"And I hope the others find a way to get us out."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Zane stood still, unbothered by the snow around him.

He gave a low sigh. The disappointment felt heavy, and his feelings went deeper than anything he'd felt before. Zane leaned back against one of the trees, very much in need of support.

He had been content, before. Part of him wished he had stayed still in his apartment, safe in his humble life. But he had not. He had run off, had allowed himself be filled with crazy hopes and expectations.

And this is where they had led. An abandoned lab, empty of any sort of answers.

A sound caught his attention. Feet shuffling in the snow, moving toward him. Zane half turned his head, watching Garmadon as he moved closer. Once the man reached him, they both stood in silence for a moment.

"I'm sorry." Garmadon said at last. "You should have met Julien. He was a great man. A great friend. If it wasn't for him, none of us would be here."

Zane listened quietly, grabbing onto every fact as tight as he could.

"Maybe you don't have a past. But that's okay. You have a future. You have the present. These moments matter more than anything." Garmadon's voice faded, as he momentarily drifted through thoughts of his own.

Eventually, Zane found the strength to speak. "Tell me more about him. About Julien. If that is alright."

"Well," Garmadon frowned. "He was smart. But I feel like that's fairly obvious. Still, it was a very impressive part of who he was. Julien had the imagination of a child, and the skill to any and all of his ideas to life.

"He's the one that founded the company, along with my father. ECHO was actually the name of his very first invention. Julien's the one that designed most of the technology we use. His potential always seemed. . . limitless.

"But he never let his intelligence get to his head. He was the most selfless man I knew. My father never had much time to spare, and me and my brother well. . . we've always found ways to repel each other. I wound up turning to Julien frequently."

Zane formed an image of the man as best as he could. He felt himself swelling up with a sort of pride, and a desperate need to prove himself. "I wish I could have met him."

Garmadon nodded. "If he were here, he would find a way to smooth everything over in a matter of seconds."

"We will figure out a way to get the others out," Zane said, with stoic determination. "And a way to clear your name."

"Thank you, Zane." Garmadon patted Zane's shoulder. "Now, would you care to come back inside, so that I can finally tell you all everything?"

* * *

The moment Garmadon exited the lab, both Cole and Jay turned to look at Lloyd.

Lloyd refrained from making eye contact with either of them, a stubborn pout on his lips. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Cole make a dramatic and exasperated eye-roll.

"Quit acting like you _can't_ see me." He said, and Lloyd leaned over Zane's blueprints, pretending to be interested. "I know you can. We both know you can."

Jay approached him, and Lloyd had no other choice but to turn. Jay kneeled down, to be at eye-level. "I know he's a _ghost_ and all, but I promise you, he isn't scary."

"I'm not _scared_." Lloyd scowled, then frowned at himself. "There's just nothing there. You're crazy."

"C'mon kid." Jay insisted, placing a hand on Lloyd's shoulder. "We just kind of want to know _why_ you can see him. See if we can figure something out. Cole doesn't remember much about himself so anything you know. . ."

"I don't know _anything_." Lloyd hissed, trying to seem angry, but fearful at upsetting the entity within him again. He grabbed Jay's hand, moving to shove him away. Wrong move.

The moment Lloyd's hand touched Jay's own, the Overlord's powers surfaced. Jay's mind was an open book before him, and Lloyd was pulled along the dizzying ride of memories. They hopped about with no apparent order, making the experience more nauseating than usual.

 _I'm right here with you, Jay._

 _Mo-om. Say Mom._

 _Hey, are you alright? You look-_

 _You can fix it! C'mon!_

 _Insane. That's what you are._

The memories ended all at once, and Lloyd took a couple of steps back. He fought the urge to cry. Whatever the voice within him had seen, it seemed strangely positive. Lloyd sensed its happiness shoving his own feelings of fear aside.

 _Trust them. Talk to them._

Lloyd wanted to ignore the words. Though he couldn't see the harm in befriending Jay and Cole, Lloyd felt a foreboding feeling. But he didn't have much of a choice. Either he did it himself, or the Overlord would do it for him.

"Okay." Lloyd whimpered, then cleared his throat to make his voice stronger. " _Okay_. I can see you. But I really don't know anything about you at all!"

It was sort of relieving, being able to lock eyes with Cole without fear. Lloyd did so, and he watched the ghost's expression instantly soften. "Well. . . that's okay. Thank you for telling the truth. You can't believe how lonely it is to have no one to talk to other than this nutcase."

"Be that way, and maybe I'll start ignoring you too." Jay scowled, crossing his arms.

"I doubt you could do that."

"You daring me?"

Lloyd chuckled softly. The door swung open, and both Garmadon and Zane stepped inside. Lloyd smiled brightly at the android, and was pleasantly relieved when he received a smile in return.

"Well," Garmadon said, as he reached the bottom of the stairs. "Ready to hear the story of Ninjago's greatest criminal mind?"

* * *

Nya and Kai stood side by side, staring at the food before them with wide eyes.

Wu waved them forward, urging them to take a seat. "Don't let the food go to waste! Come enjoy. We've much to talk about."

The siblings exchanged glances, before giving in and melting into their respective chairs. For the first minutes, there was no conversation, as both Kai and Nya were too focused on enjoying the strange delicacies before them.

As they slowly grew comfortably satisfied, their eating slowed, and Wu once more had their attention. He smiled kindly at them both. "I'm sure you have your questions. You may ask."

"Did we get our powers from ECHO?" Nya asked.

"How do you know us so well?" Kai added.

* * *

"The powers. . . Wu was the one that brought them up. I didn't know how he wound up thinking of such a thing at the time. It sounded insane. But. . . He was determined to force advances on human evolution.

"That's where you all come in. See, the experiments _had_ to be done on young children, to assure that they had time to grow comfortable with the changes. It wasn't supposed to be dangerous, but still, it was difficult to find parents willing to let their kids be part of this."

"No kidding!" Jay shook his head. "That sounds like a terrible idea. What kind of parents would ever. . ."

His voice faded, as he realized _his_ own parents must have decided to agree. The knowledge felt alien and heavy. He couldn't imagine his mom or his dad willingly throwing him into such a dangerous situation.

"We offered to let both the parents and the children stay inside ECHO. We offered financial compensation. And that's when we first had some reluctant volunteers."

* * *

"We went through a rigid process to see who could be accepted," Wu explained. "Many parents wanted to be helpful to ECHO. Human evolution was the clear next step. We hadn't gone wrong before. And we didn't go wrong, did we? I assume your powers are a flawless part of you both."

"They work. . . well." Kai admitted, tightening his hand into a fist. Yearning for the familiar feel of his fire. "But human experimentation? That's insane. I can't believe anyone would agree to that."

"ECHO offered a fair amount of financial compensation for this. And there was no danger. Your parents put in applications for you both. I mean, who wouldn't want their child to have the best of the best?"

* * *

"Kai and Nya's parents, they both needed the help. They found that raising two children was increasingly expensive. I believe it was the same in Cole's case. His mother had passed away, and his struggling single father couldn't make do without aid. So they came to us."

Jay glanced at his friend. Cole's eyes were down, so he was unable to see the emotion within them.

"Three didn't seem like enough to my brother and Borg." Garmadon shook his head. "So they decided to find a fourth, in a place where they wouldn't be turned down.

"Ninjago's Orphanage is unfortunately filled with more than they can handle. They were willing to have one of the children taken. After all, this was _ECHO_. They child was sure to have a better life."

This time, it was Cole's turn to turn to Jay. His friend sat very still, as if any sort of movement might cause him to explode. Which was probably not too far from the truth.

* * *

"Once we had four children, we set off to work. The experiments were extremely successful."

"Really." Nya scowled, a bit mockingly. She thought of Jay, and his destructive relationship with the wild element.

"You were all capable of controlling the elements handed to you. It was a miracle. With a bit more time. . . a bit more training. . ." Wu gained a faraway look, thinking of what might have been. "We would have built a new world. But Garmadon wasn't happy.

"No, he'd been against it all along. Worried that you four would grow too powerful. Worried that you would become a threat. That's when he began to plan ECHO's downfall.

"I do not blame him. I know he caused great harm, but I know his intentions were initially pure. He had just found that his wife was pregnant with their child, so he was protective and on edge, scared for the world his kid would have to grow up in."

"Maybe he had a point." Kai shrugged. "I mean, if _everyone_ had superpowers. . . People are destructive enough as is."

"I would like to think we would take a more constructive approach to having abilities." Wu disagreed. "Since these abilities would only be given to young children, they would be carefully raised. But as I said, Garmadon disagreed."

* * *

"Julien figured out something wasn't right." Garmadon said. "With the system. He'd found a strange virus roaming around, crafting files of its own, causing whole branches to shut down, making technology go haywire in general."

"The virus they said you made!" Lloyd said enthusiastically, eyes shining. He'd known his father was innocent all along, but hearing it stated so plainly, it lifted a weight he didn't know he'd been holding. "It _wasn't_ you!"

"Of course not. I'm nowhere near smart enough to make something like _that_." Garmadon chuckled softly. "Julien realized that this. . . this virus, had been creating instructions, feeding them into Wu's and Borg's computers. The virus had somehow been the one to spark the idea of human experimentation into their minds.

"That's when we decided to shut everything down. A bomb was the only way. Wipe the system, and cause enough damage to the building to buy us enough time to understand what exactly the virus _was_.

"We told the parents. We knew they wanted out. Knew they regretted putting their children through this. We gave them that, along with instructions to stay hidden. As for Jay, well, Ed and Edna were Julien's old friends. They were more than willing to take him in. So it was settled."

* * *

"No one expected the explosion." Wu's voice had grown heavy, his eyes tightened into a frown as he sparked the memories of his past. "It destroyed everything. I'm sure you both are well aware of the damage ECHO had to recover from. But recover we did."

Kai and Nya sat in silence, as the facts fell into place.

"So what do you want with us now?" Kai asked, looking into Wu's eyes. "Continue the experiments? Keep us locked in here while you study how we've grown?"

"Of course not. You have too much potential to be locked away. I only wish to know that you two have proper control over your abilities." Wu smiled. "And once you've demonstrated that well. . . then you can begin to prove more useful to Ninjago City."

"And by useful, you mean. . ."

"I'm sure you both know fairly well that Ninjago City has its fair share of criminals. Not only this, but there are many who would seek to destroy the prosperity and advancements we have made. It was my initial hope, when we began these experiments, that you would someday grow to protect us."

"Oh." Nya's voice was soft, but her eyes were wide with interest. Her imagination flew through the possibilities of what the old man was suggesting. The prospect of protecting the people of Ninjago made her heart flurry with excitement.

Kai couldn't deny that being a hero sounded _exactly_ like the life he'd imagined for himself. But he couldn't help but feel skeptical of the man before them. He thought of Lloyd, and his defiant assurance that Garmadon was innocent.

Garmadon. The man he'd met didn't quite fit with the story Wu had told them. Not only that, but there were bits and pieces here and there that didn't make a lot of sense

"And if we didn't want to do it?" Kai asked, earning a surprised look from his sister. Wu, however, seemed unfazed.

"I would never force you. I would work to find a way to allow you to return to the life you had. We'd keep a close eye on you, of course, only to assure you are not misusing your abilities. But we would not bother you, if that is what you chose."

"But if we said yes? When would we . . . start?" Nya tapped her fingers against the pesky bracelet, eager to rid herself of it.

"I would like to have you all together first. Then. . . well, I think it would be proper for you to recapture all those others who found their way out of Kryptarium."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"Show me what you can do."

Zane nodded once, then kneeled, pressing his palm against the snowy ground. All around him, the snow hardened into ice. He allowed it to grow, covering a considerable amount of the forest.

"We could totally ice skate on that." Jay smiled, watching the android with awe.

"Do you _know_ how to ice skate?" Cole countered.

Jay squinted his eyes, but refrained from responding.

"Your reach is impressive." Garmadon nodded, ignoring Jay's statement. "But must you use your hand? Are your feet not already planted on the ground?"

"They are. But the ice, I control it through my fingers." Zane explained.

"It is easier for you to control it through your fingers. It's logical." Garmadon countered. He then tapped his finger against his head. "But _this_ is where the control really comes from."

Zane frowned.

"Instead of using your hands, work on using other parts of your body. That way, you won't necessarily need to _touch_ something in order to freeze it. If you were to use your abilities in battle, they wouldn't prove themselves to be very useful if you _needed_ to touch your opponent."

Zane nodded reluctantly. He shut his eyes, then willed ice to coat his fingers. As it did so, he mentally traced the power to its source. He was surprised to feel it pulsing within his mind.

From there, he focused on moving the ability toward his feet. He tried to think of the ground itself, using nothing but his ability to feel out his surroundings.

Behind him, Jay chuckled softly. Zane reopened his eyes. Looking down, he realized he had encased his own legs in ice. "Oh."

"Well. . . you've got the basic idea." There was a small smile in Garmadon's features, and Zane felt slightly embarrassed. "I can tell you're a fast learner. You'll get it in no time. Keep practicing.

"And you." Garmadon turned to Jay. The laughter instantly washed away from his eyes. "You've got a lot of control to learn."

"I've- I can- I don't need to touch things to zap them." Jay spoke quickly, nerves causing small sparks to bounce around his skin. "I can use lighting from the sky. Or I can-"

"Aim is not what I'm referring to." Garmadon cut off Jay's words swiftly. He reached down to grasp Jay's wrist, holding it up to bring the teen's attention to his sparking skin. "I'm referring to this. You emotions control your abilities more than you do."

"Oh." Jay frowned. He glared at the dancing electricity, which died down slowly.

"In the heat of battle, you will be feeling many things. And if you don't learn to keep your emotions separate from your abilities, you'll cause more harm than anything. To yourself, and to your teammates."

Jay nodded. Brief images of Kryptarium prison flashed through his mind. The destruction had been overwhelming.

"Work on that. Try to think of small things that upset you, while making sure that the lightning stays within you, and not _around_ you. I know it might be difficult to invoke emotions onto your mind but. . . Get creative. You need to have a handle on this if we're ever going to free the others from ECHO."

Jay nodded. He moved away from the others, just to be safe. Cole followed him closely.

"And you, Lloyd."

Lloyd turned away from Jay and Cole, looking up toward his father. "Yeah?"

"What can you do?"

"Oh. Um." Lloyd's eyes shifted. As he searched for the right words, the voice spoke for him. "I can do a little of everything. But I'd rather not. The more I use. . . _it_ , the stronger it . . it gets."

Lloyd wondered if this was true, or if it was only an excuse for his dad to have zero gauge in his abilities. He looked down after his lips stopped moving. When his father didn't say anything, Lloyd looked back up.

Garmadon's eyes were filled with a clear layer of suspicion. Lloyd's hopes soared, but he tried to keep his positive emotions from overflowing. Ultimately, his father gave a small nod. "Of course. That makes a lot of sense."

"So. . . what should _we_ do, then?" Lloyd bounced on his heels. His eyes moved from Zane to Jay, wishing he could feel the same connection with his abilities as they did.

"Well. You've got a lot to explain. Don't think you aren't in trouble from running away from boarding school, and breaking into a prison."

Lloyd's mouth dropped open, and he frowned. "That's not fair!"

"Maybe. Maybe not." Garmadon shrugged, moving down to sit upon the cool snow. Lloyd remained standing. "Why don't you tell me the whole story."

Lloyd crossed his arms, making shapes in the snow with his foot. "Fine."

* * *

"Make me upset, then." Jay urged Cole to say something, while he kept his eyes shut.

"Your hair is kind of ugly."

Jay reopened his eyes, moving to glare at the ghost. "I'm serious, Cole."

"Well so am I." Cole snickered.

"You know what I _mean_." Jay rolled his eyes. "And my hair's nice enough. I like it."

"You've got no taste." Cole thought for a moment, then looked back at his friend. "And you're sure you want me to do this?"

"Well you heard Garmadon! And he's right too, I almost killed us all on our way back from Kryptarium, when I figured out you were missing. It was thanks to Kai I didn't." Jay bounced on his heels, eager to get started. "I always have to rely on someone else to bring me down. Well I won't always _have_ someone else. Now. Make me upset."

"How do you feel about being adopted?"

Jay cringed. He should have known _that_ was what Cole would go for. It was a good question. One he didn't necessarily have an answer to yet, but one that definitely sent his feelings into disarray.

It put so much out of place. And with his mind already jumbled beyond recognition half the time, it was the little things that truly kept him together. He shut his eyes again, already feeling the wild energy crackling beneath his skin.

He took a slow breath. It made his head ache, to hold everything in place. Yet, although his hands shook with effort, the lightning remained inside. "I don't know. I mean. They're still my parents. They're always going to be my parents. It just feels. . . weird. I wish they'd told me. But I guess they were going to, when they thought I was ready."

Jay repeated the words in his head, _They're still my parents. They're always going to be my parents_.

When he reopened his eyes, Cole was smiling at him. Jay smiled back, feeling the tension slowly dissipate. "Congrats. You didn't explode."

"Thank you." Jay bowed dramatically. " I guess it's a start. But I can't really ask everyone to drop everything in the middle of a fight, just so I can get ahold of myself."

"True, but like you said, it's a start."

Jay turned to study the others. Zane was still focused on keeping himself from freezing, and Lloyd was pacing around Garmadon, hands moving wildly as he spoke. No one was paying attention to them. He turned back to Cole. "And how are _you_? You know. . . now that you know about your mom?"

Cole shrugged. "It doesn't matter. It's not like I have an actual memory of her, anyway."

"Cole. . ." Jay frowned. "We'll figure your story out. I _promise_. Maybe if I start getting better at controlling the lightning, I'll be able to remember how we met. I bet that'll give us plenty of clues!"

"Maybe." Cole said. "But I'll still be a ghost."

* * *

They spent most of the day outside, going back to the lab only when the sky began to darken. After assuring himself that the door was properly locked, Garmadon relaxed, and the others followed his example.

The lab, being a bit more spacious than Dareth's cramped living room, proved to be a comfortable place to rest.

In the morning, they were met with a rude awakening. A shrill, high pitch sound echoed throughout. Garmadon's eyes snapped open, while Jay and Lloyd fumbled into wakefulness.

All at once, every blank monitor within Dr. Julien's lab flashed to life.

Garmadon turned to face the one nearest to him, eyes tightening with a sharp frown. The forest outside seemed as tranquil as ever. His eyes flickered to a different monitor. There. A flash of movement. Nearly invisible. Whoever was there knew how to camouflage well.

Garmadon scowled to himself, cursing inwardly for not recalling there was yet another person who knew of the lab.

"We have to go." He stated plainly, but even as he did, Garmadon knew there wouldn't be enough time. He turned to look at his son. "We have to get you out."

"Me?" Lloyd stood slowly, eyes running through the monitors. "What's going on?"

"Yeah." Jay nodded. The sudden pulse of electricity traveling through the lab put him on edge. "What the heck happened?"

"Someone's close by." Garmadon turned to a different monitor. The flickering shape was moving closer. Soon enough, it would be upon them. "It's Julien's security system."

"Whoa." Jay's eyes wandered, following the invisible rivers of electricity. "And it still works? It's got to have been ages since someone last set foot here. I wonder what kind of-"

Garmadon tuned Jay's voice out, mind moving through the possibilities. Whatever happened, he couldn't let Lloyd set foot in ECHO. If his suspicions were correct about the voice in his son's mind. . .

"There's another way out. You have to take it. I'll slow our little friend down." Garmadon nodded to himself as he spoke, guiding them further into the lab. Relaying on his memory, he found a small switch hidden within one of the shelves. It swung outward, revealing a path of deep darkness. "Whatever happens, you _must_ keep Lloyd safe."

"I will stay behind with you." Zane stated. "It will buy more time."

Garmadon wanted to protest, but he knew he was in no position to turn down help. He nodded to Zane briefly, before looking down at Lloyd. He kneeled, embracing the small child with a quick embrace. "Don't worry Lloyd. I'll find you again. I promise."

"I. . ." Lloyd wanted to shout and pout in protest, but the shaky look of worry from his father's eyes kept him still. "Okay."

"I love you, alright?" Garmadon gave his son another hug.

"I love you too." Lloyd did his best not to cry. When they broke away, Garmadon stood. He looked at Jay, gaze unwavering now.

"Keep him safe. No matter what."

Jay couldn't respond. So he nodded sheepishly instead. Garmadon ushered them into the passage, shutting the door behind them. Then he turned to Zane.

"If you do not mind me asking, who is out there?"

"An old acquaintance. I should have known Wu would send him after us." Garmadon began to trot up the stairs. Zane followed closely. "His name is Ronin. He helped us get the others out of ECHO."

"If he helped, is he not on our side?"

"He's on his own side, and no one else's. Wu must have offered him a considerable sum of money."

They stepped out into the open, and the door shut automatically. The air before them shimmered briefly, before revealing a man and a large machine. The man smiled brightly, giving them both a friendly wave. "Garmadon! It's been a while, hasn't it? How do you like the camouflage? A gift from your brother. He's pretty generous."

"That's not the word I'd personally use to describe him." Garmadon scowled. "Ronin, you've helped us before. Any chance you'll want to do that again?"

"Sorry old man. Job's a job."

Garmadon nodded. "I figured you'd say that."

"Never hurts to ask," Ronin shrugged. "Now it's my turn to ask a question. How about we head back to ECHO peacefully? No need to exert yourself."

Instead of responding, Garmadon gave Zane a small signal. Zane focused his skills as he'd done before, directing the snow beneath Ronin's feet to turn into a prison of ice. Ronin's eyes widened as the numbing sensation spread up his legs.

"That's new." Ronin gave a small unconcerned chuckle, before using the strength of his legs to break free. "You another of Wu's crazy experiments, kid?"

"No." Zane responded. He willed his abilities to sharpen, reaching for Ronin again. Ronin spotted the brief flicker of purpose in Zane's eyes. He leaped back, clinging onto one of the wings of his strange vehicle.

"He didn't mention anything about you at all." Ronin reached behind his back, bringing forth the tranquilizer gun. "I've got to admit, you've got some impressive skills. But I doubt you have any of the experience."

"Maybe not, but I do." Ronin swiveled at the voice, a few seconds too late. Garmadon had snuck up behind him, landing a heavy kick against his side. Ronin tumbled int the snow, where Zane acted quickly, encasing the him in ice. The man struggled, but Zane had learned quickly, creating more and more layers of the cold weapon to make escape impossible.

"Two against one, that's hardly fair." There was a light bit of sweat over Ronin's skin, but his expression remained confidently mocking. "But I think I know how to even out the odds."

Ronin whistled a distinct melody, and his vehicle shuddered to life. Zane and Garmadon both turned their attention toward it. "R.E.X., _Fire._ "

Two missiles shot from the front of the vehicle simultaneously. Both Zane and Garmadon got thrown back, their flight stopping roughly against thick tree trunks. The ice holding Ronin in place cracked, and he twisted himself back into freedom.

The blast sparked bits of flames throughout the forest. Although some burned weakly, dampened by the temperature, others grew in strength, fueled by the dry branches. Smoke quickly enveloped the three figures.

"Are you _insane_?" Garmadon coughed, waving the smoke away form himself. "Zane, put the fire out!"

Zane couldn't spot Garmadon, but the man's words reached him without trouble. His eyes quickly locked onto the sources of the flame, and he used snow and ice to leech the life from them. Only the smoke remained.

Garmadon's coughs continued, and tears blurred his eyes. With effort, he spotted the shape of Ronin's vehicle. He listened intently, trying to focus on the sounds around him. The only consolation was that if Garmadon couldn't see, then neither could Ronin.

A sudden pain grew in his neck. Garmadon's hand shot toward the source, fingers tightening around a dart. As he recognized it, his eyelids grew heavier than what he could handle. He spotted Ronin approaching him, a pair of goggles over his eyes.

 _I hate technology._ Garmadon thought. He struggled to utter a warning for Zane, but his consciousness left him before he could do so.

No more than a couple of feet away, Zane heard the sound of Garmadon's body hitting the snowy ground. He turned to it, just in time to spot a small dart flying towards him. Zane did nothing to evade it. The dart bounced off his metal skin, landing harmlessly upon the snow.

"What in the. . ." Zane twisted toward the voice, spotting Ronin's figure against the dissipating smoke. "This is going to cost Wu extra. Just what _are_ you."

"I am Zane." The android replied. Ronin trotted backwards, working to avoid Zane's ever-reaching ice.

"Zane. You know, that does sound familiar." Ronin nodded to himself, mind moving quickly as he thought of a plan. "Ah. Right. Julien's little toy."

The ice reached Ronin's legs. Zane continued to strengthened it as he moved closer, allowing it to climb up to the man's waist. "You knew him, then?"

"Who didn't?" Ronin shrugged. Zane's curiosity prevented him from questioning Ronin's relaxed pose. "That old man was something else. Brilliant indeed. He helped me build my R.E.X., actually. Two machines by built by Julien's hand. You must have a lot in common, huh?"

Zane's eyes turned to Ronin's machine briefly. Yet another piece of his creator.

"Makes you wonder. . ." Ronin smiled slyly. Then he gave a loud, clear shout. "R.E.X! _hack!_ "

"Hack?" Zane frowned. Or at least, he meant to. A numbing sensation had suddenly spread throughout every inch of him. He couldn't move. Fear gripped him, as a distinctly alien presence oozed into his mind.

Darkness flooded Zane's eyes, and a strange combination of letters and numbers flickered across the blackness of his vision. Then, for the first time since awakening in Birchwood forest, Zane lost all sense of himself.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"Kai, _why_?"

Nya massaged her forehead, trying to alleviate the stress induced by her brother. Her attempts were unsuccessful, mind and body remaining on edge. Kai shrugged, getting ready to exit the room.

"He's hiding something. I want to find out what it is." Kai paused.

"You _do_ know we're in _ECHO_." Nya said, refraining from rolling her eyes. "Company who created most security systems? How far , exactly, do you think you'll get?"

"Far enough." Kai snapped back. "The old man trusts us too much. There's only _one_ guard at the elevator. I knock them out, take their keycard, and see as much as I can before I get in trouble."

"And once you _do_ get caught, sooner rather than later mind you, they'll put _more_ guards and _more_ security measures that we'll _both_ have to deal with."

"Then we'll deal." Before the argument could continue, Kai stepped out of the room and into the empty hall. The elevator that kept them trapped was nearby, leaving Kai with no time to try and rethink his decision.

The man standing by the closed elevator doors didn't acknowledge his presence at first. Kai quickly noticed that he did not carry any weapons, not even a tranquillizer dart gun like Ronin's.

Either Wu _did_ trust them more than Kai realized, or he thought they were helpless without their powers. Well, Kai was about to prove him wrong on both accounts.

"Can I help you?" The man's voice sounded unsure, as if he hadn't actually planned anything in case Kai or Nya decided to approach.

"Yeah." Kai replied, before swinging his arms toward the man. He landed two not-so-soft punches on both sides of his neck. Kai grimaced at the feel of it. The man's eyes rolled up into his head, body crumpling onto the ground. "Sorry."

He fumbled to search for a keycard, extremely aware of the cameras watching his every move. Kai gave a soft _ha!_ As his fingers closed around what he needed. He called the elevator. Once inside, Kai pressed the highest button on its panel. He was bound to find _something_ at the top of ECHO.

At least he hoped he would. Kai didn't want to hear the annoyingly mocking speech Nya was bound to give him if he found nothing. The elevator came to a smooth stop too soon, doors sliding open to reveal an unlit hall.

Kai stepped out quickly, almost running. His eyes shifted from side to side, committing all details to memory.

The rooms on either side of the hall were made of thick glass windows. Kai had expected offices. But within the rooms were labs, each a bit more complex than the last.

As he took a turn, Kai spotted a room with bright lights spilling from within. He slowed his footsteps, lowering his body to sneak forward. His ears captured a voice he'd never heard before, and a voice that had become too familiar.

". . . it has started again. Just like before. We've gotten so many calls about the products going haywire. The citizens remember too well what happened last time, and are beginning to ask for us to be shut down."

"I really thought. . . Garmadon would have changed. He's with Lloyd. How could he possibly do this?" Wu's voice sounded tired. Kai inched himself closer.

"That's the thing." The unfamiliar voice said. "It can't be Garmadon. The reports started _two weeks_ before his escape. So unless you think your brother could have somehow done all this from _within_ Kryptarium. . . it's something else."

"How could someone have mirrored the exact virus?"

"They would have had to be in contact with Garmadon, somehow. Or. . ."

"Or?"

"Maybe it was never your brother at all." The voice grew quiet. "Something isn't right, Wu. Whatever was going on before, things are-"

The voice cut off. Kai frowned, wishing he could _see_ inside the room. Had Wu done something? Attacked the man, in order to silence him? Maybe Wu had been behind this all along, framing his brother, creating superhumans to-

Kai's thoughts were roughly interrupted as a pair of legs entered his field of vision. With a low hiss, Kai allowed himself to look up slowly. Wu was looking down at him in amusement, arms crossed over his chest.

"Hello, Kai."

Kai stood, trying to keep himself as composed as possible. "Hello."

The owner of the unfamiliar voice moved up behind Wu. His hair was black, and it was neatly parted to the side. A pair of glassed framed his face, and he sat in a high-tech wheelchair. Kai recognized him instantly. Cyrus Borg. One of ECHO's greatest minds.

When the silence lengthened, Kai gave a nod to Borg as well. "Hello."

"If you don't mind me asking Kai, what exactly were you doing?"

"Er. . ." Kai shook his head. "Okay, I know I'm in trouble so just-"

Wu chuckled softly, and Kai stopped the flow of his words, frowning at the old man. "No, no. You are not in trouble. Curiosity is not a quality I care to punish. Though I _would_ appreciate you not going to these lengths again."

Kai blinked slowly, shaken by the calm reaction. All the fire fueling his suspicions went out in a flash, and he suddenly felt like no more than a rebellious child. "I just. . . I was. . ."

"Wanted to see if I was hiding anything? I assure you Kai, I have told you all I know. I understand you wish to protect yourself and your sister, but I pose no threat to either of you."

"Then. . ." Kai nodded toward Borg. "What was he talking about? About the virus?"

"Ah." Wu nodded slowly. "Yes. It seems another break out has begun. Either my brother has allies I was unaware of until now. . . or he was not responsible at all."

Kai could see how heavily the possibility weighed on the man.

"Oh!"

Both Kai and Wu turned to face Borg, who seemed to be intently staring at something that wasn't there. Or rather. . . something in the surface of his glasses. Kai could see small shifting figures of light, although he couldn't discern much. "Ronin has returned. He has your brother. And. . . Someone else. Pixal says he is an android, but not one whose model she recognizes."

"Julien." Wu whispered, more to himself than anything. He then refocused on the situation. "I must talk to my brother. Borg, would you mind escorting Kai back to his floor?"

Without waiting for a response, Wu marched down the hall, footsteps heavy against the silence.

* * *

"Do you think he'll be alright?"

Lloyd's voice echoed through the tunnel. Darkness and shadows surrounded them, setting Jay more on edge than usual. The flickering sparks dancing up and down his arms were the only source of light.

"Of course." Jay replied, although he wasn't sure he believed it at all. "It's Garmadon. And _Zane_. I'm sure they can take care of themselves. Then they'll come find us."

"Definitely." Cole said, voice far more reassuring. "Where do you think this leads to, anyway?"

"Somewhere _too_ far." Lloyd groaned. "We've been walking for _hours_. My feet are swollen and I'm hungry."

"Yeah well, so am I." Jay pouted, sounding just as childish as the kid.

"I don't know what you guys are complaining about, I feel just fine." Cole chuckled, earning annoyed looks.

They continued to walk. As the distance continued to seem never-ending, the small tidbits of conversation faded into nothingness. It took all of their focus to simply keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Jay half dragged his feet as he moved, wondering how good of an idea it would be to sit, if only for a couple of minutes. Then again, he was sure that as soon as his legs folded beneath him, they wouldn't get up again.

While his tired eyes continued to stare forward, something changed. A shift in the light, barely visible in the distance, but a shift nonetheless. The idea of the tunnel finally coming to an end gave him strength to move faster.

Lloyd noticed the shift in pace, and he looked up. His eyes widened, small legs stumbling forward after Jay. "What _is_ that?"

"The way out." As they drew closer to the light, Jay allowed the lightning in his arms to flicker out. "It's got to be."

The light begun to take shape. It was coming from a door, which stood wide open, revealing the delicious daylight. Jay couldn't help but smile, despite the exhaustion. Then the expression froze on his face, as the shapes on the other side of the door became extremely familiar.

Cole recognized them too. He exchanged quizzical glances with his best friend, just as a shadow stepped into view. They turned back toward the door.

Jay felt everything within him melt into relief. " _Mom_."

He ran forward, throwing himself into his mother's arms. For a second, his mind mocked him. _That's not your real mom, you know_. But Jay was quick to smush away the thought. He could have cared less. The comfort emanating from his mother's arms was too great to pass up.

Lloyd watched awkwardly, shoving his hands into the pockets of his hoodie so they wouldn't visibly fidget. He wished his father was here.

Before the longing within him could grow too great, however, the attention shifted towards him. "And who is this little man?"

"That's Lloyd." Jay stepped back. Edna stepped toward the child, her permanently kind smile lighting up her features. "But Ma, what the heck is _this_? Why do you have a secret tunnel leading to Birchwood forest? What do you know about Dr. Julien? Did you know he made an android? It's _so_ lifelike and-"

"Jay, honey, I could ask _you_ just as many questions. But first things first. You both look awful. Let's get you something to eat."

"Oh!" Lloyd's eyes lit up at the thought of food. He'd tried his best to keep from complaining, but the ache in his stomach was becoming unbearable. "That would be great."

"So Lloyd, is it?" Jay's mom asked, and Lloyd gave a small nod. "Lloyd Garmadon?"

"Yeah!" Lloyd nodded a bit more enthusiastically now. It was the first time anyone had ever known his last name without him having to bend over backward to have them believe him. "Do you know my dad?"

"Of course, I mean, who doesn't?" Edna chuckled, as she guided them both out of the tunnel. Cole marched on ahead, already familiar with the junkyard's many twist and turns. "But I did get the chance to meet him before. . . well before everything. And let me tell you, I thought _I_ was quite the chatter bird, but your father? Oh, he would _not_ stop babbling about his little Lloyd.

"You hadn't even been born yet! And he already had a lovely name picked out for you. I'm sure he would have given anything to be with you as you grew. You're ten now, right?"

"Yes ma'am." Lloyd said with a smile. He couldn't imagine his father acting as excited as Jay's mother said.

They reached the small trailer. Jay let himself drop onto the aged couch cramped into the small living area. "Where's dad?"

"Somewhere in the yard." Edna shrugged. "I'll go get him while you two fill yourselves up. We've got a lot to talk about, Jay."

"Yeah, I know."

"I can't possibly imagine what you could have been thinking." Edna shook her head. "I'm glad to have you here, safe, but _Jay_ you can't imagine. . . We were so worried, you know?"

"I know. . ."

"Well. Go on and eat." Edna set two bowls of warm food upon the table. "I'll get your father."

Once she'd stepped out of the trailer, Lloyd hopped up toward the food. "Oh man this is great!"

"Really?" Jay sat up. "I guess so."

"Your mom's really nice too."

"She is." Jay agreed, as he reached the table. "But oh _man_. They're going to really let me have it. Can you say like, how awesome it was for us to get your dad out? Maybe they'll go easier on me if you make puppy eyes at them."

Lloyd rolled his eyes. "Sure, Jay."

* * *

Pixal couldn't believe Zane was an android.

She took in as many details as she could, making sure to fill in every blank in her database.

He was _so_ human. Ronin stepped up into her field of vision, placing a hand upon the unresponsive android. "Amazing, right?"

Instead of answering with her true thoughts, _yes_ , she proceeded to inform Ronin that Wu was on his way. Then she stepped back, and out of the way. Although she tried to keep her mind blank and her eyes forward, something kept persistently drawing her toward Zane.

When Wu stepped into the room, she jolted slightly, refocusing on the situation itself and not her point of interest.

"Ronin." Wu gave the man a small nod of admiration. "You truly know the tricks of the trade. Now there is only Jay and my nephew."

"Right, yeah." Ronin shrugged off the compliment. "But about this little trinket here. I'm sure I'll get a bonus for it? You never said anything about a well-trained android. Almost lost the fight for a second there, what with dealing with him and your brother at the same time."

"Oh I'm sure you had it all under control. But yes, I'll arrange for extra payment." Wu studied the android for a moment. "He seems a little. . . gone."

"That, yeah." Ronin nodded. "Had to hack it to make it stop fighting. I think it's resetting itself? Or maybe I broke it. Who knows. Oh, and your brother's in R.E.X. still unconscious. I figured you'd want to get extra security measures when bringing him in."

Each time Ronin uttered the word 'it' to refer to Zane, Pixal could feel a tight feeling of anger blooming within her. She did her best to suppress the feelings. It was not her business to correct anyone. And it was not as if the man was wrong. Zane was only a machine, after all.

"I'll go see to him myself." Wu stated, before finally acknowledging Pixal's presence. "Pixal, please escort Zane to the others."

"Of course." Pixal gave a nod, before stepping back up toward Zane. The moment she did so, something inside the android shuddered to life at last. His eyes glowed a shade brighter than before, and with a slow blink, he seemed to asses the situation.

For a moment, they studied each other. Ronin and Wu exited the room, wholly uninterested in the two machines. Pixal willed herself to remain focused. It was not as if Zane was the first android she had ever encountered. Yes, perhaps the design was infinitely more refined than what she was accustomed to, but that was no reason to deviate from her duties.

"Please follow me." She said, with her usual, monotone curtesy.

"Where am I?" Zane asked.

"This is ECHO. I am to escort you to Kai and Nya." Pixal realized she had many questions of her own. She refrained from asking.

"Oh." Zane grew momentarily silent. "I am glad to hear they are safe."

They exchanged no more conversation. Once Pixal had delivered Zane to the correct floor, she remained in the elevator. "Wu will most likely come speak to you shortly."

"Thank you." There was much emotion and sincerity behind the two simple words. It was fascinating. She gave a nod in response.

The elevator doors slid shut.

* * *

Jay was out the minute his body hit the bed.

Lloyd was not so lucky. He sat still and awake, wondering where exactly his father was. And for a brief second, he wondered about his mother too.

Despite Jay's whining, his parents had been kind and calm about the situation. They asked more than they answered, and in the end, they hadn't revealed much about the strange tunnel uniting the junkyard with Birchwood forest.

There was a secret hovering above them all, and each word and expression from Jay's parents provided a crucial clue. But Lloyd hadn't cared about that. He'd been too busy trying to keep the disarray of feelings from showing on his face.

Lloyd had been terribly jealous. Jay's parents were both incredibly kind, and they'd treated him as warmly as if he were also part of the family. Of course, Lloyd wouldn't give up his father for anything, but. . . imagining what growing up in Jay's life must have been like left him with an aching feeling in his chest.

"You should probably sleep. It's been a long day."

"Hm?" Lloyd looked up at Cole, who sat leaning against the wall. His long body would have been cramped, had he not easily been able to slip his legs straight through Jay's bed. "Oh. Yeah, I guess so. But what are _you_ going to do?"

"Wait." Cole shrugged, trying to seem unaffected. "I'm used to it, don't worry. I usually try to remember as many things as I can from when I was alive."

"What _do_ you remember?"

"I think. . . I think my father was some sort of performer. I know he _definitely_ had a mustache. And I think he was a little pushy. I don't have any concrete memories of it all but. . . I get the general feeling of frustration when I think about him too much.

"Can I ask _you_ a question?"

"Yeah."

"What's with that . . . thing, surrounding you?"

"Thing?" Lloyd's eyes shifted around him, but he could see nothing. He looked back at the ghost, a question glowing in his eyes. "What thing?"

"There's. . . some weird dark shape that follows you everywhere. Almost like a ghost but. . . Not."

"Oh." Lloyd shivered involuntarily. They thought of having something so close that he couldn't see was beyond scary. He supposed the presence belonged to the voice in his head. He couldn't think of any other possibility. "Maybe that's where my power comes from. It. . . talks. To me."

Lloyd waited for the voice to lash out, to order him to be silent. It didn't.

"Could I . . . talk to _it_?"

"I don't-" Lloyd didn't finish the sentence. He felt the voice push his mind aside, as easily as swatting off a fly. Lloyd saw Cole jolt, eyes coated in fear and confusion. Lloyd wondered what he looked like. " _Of course you may speak with me._ "

It was both Lloyd's voice and not, as it carried a strange static-like edge to it. If Lloyd had been in control of his feelings, he would have panicked. He couldn't remember something like this ever happening before.

"What do you want, exactly? With the kid?" Cole's fear was erased as quickly as it had formed.

" _Maybe I should ask what do_ you _want, Cole_." The voice teased. " _Maybe you would like to glimpse your memories? I can help you with that._ "

Lloyd watched his hand lift up and reach out toward the ghost. His fingers were coated in vines of darkness, with only a few visible patches of skin. He saw Cole shift, readying himself to reach out. Lloyd wished he could warn him against it.

But he couldn't. And so Cole did.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"Long time no see."

Garmadon chuckled as he spoke, his handcuffed wrists laying calmly atop his lap.

"Hello, brother." Wu signaled for Garmadon to step out of R.E.X. "Follow me, please. Ronin's still got a couple of more people to find."

"If it's my son you're looking for, you won't find him." Garmadon stood, legs weak after whatever sort of tranquilizer Ronin used. Still, he move forward with firm confidence, refusing to look anything but strong in front of his brother.

"You know Ronin is skilled. Lloyd will turn up sooner or later."

To this, Garmadon had no response. He followed Wu through halls that were too well lit. His eyes ached, unaccustomed to the sharp brightness. Their trip ended in a room that was very much like the one he'd left behind in Kryptarium prison.

"And the others?" Garmadon asked at once.

" _They_ are not prisoners, Garmadon."

"Aren't they?"

Wu frowned at this response, but refused to take the bait. He did not want to argue. "They are somewhere else. I assure you, they are safe. But. . . how did you come to find one of Julien's inventions?"

"You mean Zane?" Garmadon shook his head. " _He_ found _me_."

"Did he also aid your escape from Kryptarium?"

"Maybe." Garmadon shrugged.

"I hope you realize what that break-in caused. Pythor escaped. As did Chen. And I'm sure I do not need to remind you of the danger they pose Ninjago." When Garmadon frowned, Wu carried on, satisfied to know that at the very least his brother could still show concern. "But there are more pressing matters."

"Oh?"

"You did not lie to me, about the virus. It wasn't you, was it?"

"Ah!" Garmadon smirked. "Finally figured that out, did you? And how does it feel, to know you wrongly imprisoned your brother for ten years? That you robbed Lloyd of his father, for no good reason?"

Wu turned away, to hide the emotions flickering in his light blue eyes. "Who was it then? Julien?"

" _Julien_ , he says." Garmadon laughed. "You don't believe that, do you? Why would he create anything like that? Something has been rotten inside ECHO from the very beginning, and Julien was the only one that saw it."

"What _is_ it then?" Wu turned back to his brother. "What is the virus? It has resurfaced. It is moving quicker than before. Half the city is without power because of it, and the other half isn't far behind."

"I don't know what 'it' is." Garmadon dropped the mocking tone from his voice. "But I think. . . I think Lloyd might be the source of it."

" _Lloyd?_ "

"I don't know how. It seems impossible. But. . . he _has_ abilities, Wu. And he shouldn't. He was never part of the experiments." They both became silent, each fighting to push the pieces of the ever-growing puzzle. "The only thing I know for sure, is that we can _not_ bring Lloyd to ECHO. If he _is_ the source. . . think of the damage that could be caused, if he set foot in the heart of all technology."

Wu did not want to think of it. "I have to stop Ronin."

* * *

" _Dad, with these abilities, I can_ help _people. Don't you understand?" Cole's voice was unhinged with desperation. His father's expression did not change. His arms were crossed tightly, a stubborn frown tightening his strict features._

 _"You don't understand, Cole. You have to stay here. You can't just go around, willy-nilly, using super powers! Do you know what would happen? You'd create a panic! People aren't ready for this sort of thing."_

 _"They'll never be ready until it happens."_

 _"You are_ not _a super hero, Cole. You're just a kid. Understand that."_

 _"I'm not a kid." Cole shook his head, sounding exactly like one. "I know what I'm doing."_

 _"Cole,_ No. _"_

 _Those were the last words Cole heard, before stepping out into the night. The roads in his small town were mostly empty, as everyone found better places to be at this time. His eyes swiveled through his surroundings, trying to take in as much as possible. He would miss this place very much._

 _But this place was no place for him. He could do more in the city. He could help those who couldn't help themselves. He could make a difference. And he was going to do just that._

 _Without a plan, or a clear goal, Cole moved forward. All he wanted to do was keep moving, to wash away the anger and frustration from the argument with his father. He hoped that once Cole proved to be capable, their relationship could be fixed. But for now, Cole knew he had to be on his own._

 _Ninjago City was far, but the distance was something he could cover. The superhuman strength pulsing beneath his skin also gifted him with endless stamina. He could get anywhere, without so much as breaking a sweat._

 _The temperature began to drop as he wandered into Birchwood Forest. Cole shivered, wishing he hadn't stormed out without a coat. Goosebumps coated his arms. He crossed them over his chest, struggling to maintain as much warmth as he could._

 _It was alright. He just had to keep moving. The forest would end, and the city would begin. And then, then his life would become what it was meant to be._

 _A flicker of light caught his attention. It came again and again. It reminded him of lightning, but that was impossible. The sky was clear. And the light itself seemed to come from the ground._

 _When he reached the source, Cole was surprised to find that it_ was _indeed, lightning. Except that it was sparking and twisting around a small figure. The shape shivered and twisted. Cole stepped closer, concerned but intrigued._

 _The lightning could only mean one thing. Someone else had abilities. He wasn't alone._

 _But before he could jump up with excitement, he had to deal with the problem at hand. He took another step. "Hey, are you alright? You look-"_

 _The figure turned to face him, and the words died in Cole's throat. The person before him couldn't have been much older than him, if not younger. His eyes were filled with fright, and they glowed with a blinding blue light. Cole couldn't stare at them for long. He took another step back._

 _"Just go!" The guy shouted, voice shaky and static filled._

 _"Hey, it's okay." Cole tried to sound as comforting as possible. "I- I have. . . weird powers too."_

 _The guy shook his head frantically. "Really. Please. Go."_

 _"I can help you. I-"_

 _Cole never managed to finish his sentence. In a powerful burst of energy, electricity exploded around him. He managed to watch the tendrils of lightning whip around him, and he was momentarily impressed._

 _Then, he was struck. All at once, from every possible angle._

* * *

Cole stumbled back, chest rising and falling roughly with the memory of breath.

He stared at Lloyd fearfully. The child's eyes still glowed an eerie purple, but with a blink, Lloyd's green eyes returned.

"Are you okay?" The child asked, fearfully. "I'm really sorry. I don't-"

"I'm fine." Cole snapped, hinting at the complete opposite. Jay. _Jay_. Jay was the reason he was a ghost. The realization made him feel sick, and he was for once glad not to have a human stomach.

He glared at his friend, sleeping peacefully, unaware of all he had caused. Cole felt a surge of anger, and he shook his head. A memory of the words he'd told Jay flashed in his mind.

 _It's not like you meant to do it. You had no idea what was going to happen_

 _You can't blame yourself for this. No one would blame you for this._

Back then, Jay had been confident he'd harmed Zane in one way or another. And Cole had been eager to reassure his friend. But now. . .

Cole couldn't help but blame him. If he'd learned to have more control over his emotions, if he'd taken the time to work with his abilities. . . Cole would be alive.

"Tell him I'm leaving. I can't- I can't do this. I don't-."

Cole didn't finish. He just shook his head.

"No, no you can't leave." Lloyd did his best to speak softly, so as not to get the attention of Jay's parents. "Please. I'm sorry I showed you that. I didn't want to."

Instead of responding, Cole glided out of the trailer.

Lloyd fidgeted with the sleeves of his sweater. Then he moved to Jay, shaking him furiously. "Jay wake _up_. Cole's gone. Cole's leaving. Wake _up_."

Jay did. He blinked sleepily. The fear in the kid's eyes woke him fully, and he scrambled to sit up. "What's wrong? Are you okay? Are my parent's okay?"

"Yes, yes." Lloyd nodded. "That's not-"

"Where's Cole?"

"That's what I'm _trying_ to tell you." Lloyd said, too worried to pout or scowl. "He's leaving. He said he was leaving. You need to stop him. We could need him. We need to stick together so that we can get-"

Jay had stopped listening. He hopped out of bed, struggling to slip into his beat up converse. Then he ran. Out of the room, out of the trailer.

"Cole!" Jay shouted at the top of his lungs, everything else be dammed. He didn't care if he brought Ronin right to them. He didn't care if his parents began to question his sanity further. He didn't care. "Cole!"

Cole had to be close. The lightning pulsing within propelled Jay forward, allowing him to move faster. He ran out of the junkyard, spotting a lone figure moving through the desert.

He caught up in no time. Cold air blew through his hair and unprotected skin, but Jay couldn't feel it at all. He couldn't feel much of anything. "Cole. Please stop. Why are you leaving?"

Cole did stop. He turned around, to look at his friend. The pulse of electricity was all too familiar. Cole's mind flashed to the memory. Cole knew Jay _couldn't_ hurt him. Nevertheless, he felt a twinge of fear. "I just can't. . . be with you right now, okay? I'm sorry and whatever. But just. . ."

"What happened? I don't understand. I don't- I don't understand." Jay shook his head, over and over, needing to have some place for the building energy to go.

"It was _you_." Cole surprised himself at having said it. But feelings of fear and unfairness clouded his judgement, and he was hardly aware of the words that came out of his mouth. "Did you know? Did you _know_?"

"Me?" Jay had a very good guess at what Cole was referring to. But it couldn't be. _No. No. No. Not me. Not me. Not him. Not me._

The world seemed to tip beneath him. Jay tightened his hands into fists. "Me, _what_ Cole?"

"You're the reason I'm a ghost. It's. . . It's been you. All along." The feelings of frustrating left him when the words did, leaving him empty. "I can't do this Jay. I need to be alone, okay?"

"No! It couldn't have been me! I- It wasn't." Jay kept shaking his head. He didn't think he could stop the frantic movement, even if he tried.

 _You're the reason I'm a ghost._

 _You._

 _You._

 _You._

The words looped in Jay's mind as he struggled to catch a breath. But the pressure against his chest was too heavy.

"I'm sorry, Jay." Cole turned away again, continuing his path through the desert. Jay wanted to move after him, wanted to make him say it wasn't true, wanted to make him _stay_. But he couldn't. He couldn't move.

"Cole. Please, Cole. It wasn't me. It wasn't. It wasn't." Jay knew his words were too soft for his friend to hear, but he couldn't bring himself to speak any louder. His throat felt too tight.

 _You. It was You. All Along._

The lightning continued to crackle around him, and clouds converged above. Soon enough, an electric storm would start. Bamm! Bamm! Bamm! Jay could see the lightning now, striking the sand with ruthless vengeance.

Bamm! Bamm! Bamm!

He'd done that to Cole. To _Cole_. There was no mystery to his death. No clues to track and follow. It was all just due to a kid with too much power and not enough strength.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Cole, come back." Jay was speaking to no one now, but he couldn't help it. The words continued to spill, tumbling over each other as he repeated the apology.

There was a sound coming from somewhere around him, but Jay's mind couldn't focus on it. There was a voice too. It said his name. Or maybe it didn't. He couldn't tell. He didn't care.

The first flash of lightning struck the earth.

Jay waited for more to follow. None did.

He blinked. Slowly. He realized that there was no lightning surrounding him, either.

His chest was still tight, and the world was still tipping from side to side, but his mind felt surprisingly clear. Jay took a shuddering breath, wondering if he'd somehow managed to finally tame the element. Then the voice came again, along with a pair of strong arms, which lifted him up.

"Thank you for making things easier. You know, you're the one I was most worried about."

Jay turned to study the man, trying to will himself to focus on the shifting circumstances. An eyepatch. A beard. A mocking, yet somehow concerned smile. "You alright, kid? That was some show you put on."

"I'm. . ." Jay blinked. He was far from alright but. . . a pressure within him seemed to be absent. The swirling feelings still plagued him, but this time, there was no crackling energy to go along with them. "Lightning."

"Ah. Yeah. It won't be with you as long as you wear that nifty little bracelet there."

Jay looked down. The bracelet was plain. Seemingly harmless. "Really?"

"Really." Jay allowed himself to be ushered into a strange vehicle. What else was he to do? He could barely put two and two together. "Now let's get you to ECHO."

"ECHO?" Jay frowned. "Lloyd."

"The other kid? You know where he is?"

To this, Jay knew exactly what to say. "No."

* * *

Lloyd watched the events unfold with a tight knot of regret.

"Are you _happy_ now?" He scowled at the voice, kicking the sand beneath his feet. The strange contraption was flying away now, taking away the only ally he had left. "I hope you are. I thought you _wanted_ to get into ECHO. I can't do it on my own! And there goes the only other person that could help us!"

Lloyd had never yelled at the voice. Even when he wasn't as aware of the power it held, a sense of foreboding had kept him polite. But now, he couldn't help it. He was angry. _Beyond_ angry, even. How did things wind up so, so wrong?

He'd had his father. He'd had . . . well, _friends_. Or at the very least people he could rely on. And now? Now he was back to the start. With nothing more than a power he didn't want and a voice he loathed to hear.

"So what are we supposed to do now? I'm not staying here." He looked back at the trailer that served as Jay's home. His parents would be sleeping inside, completely unaware of the events that had unfolded. "You'll only cause trouble. You _always_ cause trouble."

The voice remained quiet through his tantrum. Lloyd exited the junkyard, taking the lack of response as permission to proceed. "But what are we supposed to do in the desert?"

 _Find the ghost._ Lloyd jolted as the voice spoke.

"Right. Because he will _so_ want to help us out, after what you showed him!" He moved forward nonetheless, following the basic direction he'd seen Cole take. "I'll never catch up anyway. But I guess it's better than staying with Jay's parents. They're going to be _so_ upset."

With the voice giving him no reaction at all, Lloyd eventually grew silent.

Even with the black jacket coating his body, the cold of the sunless desert made him shiver. Lloyd shoved his hands deep into his pockets, his head down and his hood up as he walked. Lloyd thought about shouting Cole's name, but he figured that would be a waste of time. And energy.

To distract himself, He began to imagine what ECHO would look like. He'd heard it talked about in such negative tones, that he couldn't help but imagine a large, dark castle, with perhaps a couple of everlasting clouds circling above it.

Realistically, however, Lloyd knew it was bound to be a normal building. Maybe standing a bit taller than those around it. Well. A _lot_ taller. And of course, there would be countless guards on every floor, jealously guarding the company's secrets.

Guards wouldn't be a problem. Lloyd had never tested his powers against more than two people at once, but he was confident he could take more on. The true issue rested on _finding_ his father and the others. With only himself, and possibly Cole, the plan was bound to be a bit more convoluted than before.

"Lloyd?"

Lloyd's head moved up, eyes locking against those of the ghost. Cole had been headed _toward_ him, which meant that he'd wound up deciding to turn back.

Which meant that waking Jay up had been unnecessary. Lloyd pushed the what-if's from his mind, more concerned with bringing his only ally up to date. "Cole! They took Jay. To ECHO! And now, we have to get them out. I know my dad said not to _go_ there but. . . we can't leave them there!"

"You're shivering like crazy, kid. You shouldn't be out here." Lloyd pouted at the concerned tone. Cole's response had nothing to do with what Lloyd had told him.

"That doesn't matter. Didn't you hear what I _said_?"

"I heard. Sorry. Yes. We need to get them out. I . . . I shouldn't have tried to leave. Whatever happened before, it wasn't Jay's fault. It was just-"

Lloyd rolled his eyes. "You can tell _him_ that. Now come _on_. Do you know which way the city is?"

"Yeah, but we aren't going to _walk_ to it." Cole said. "We should head back to the junkyard. Jay's dad has a car. We can use it."

"I'm ten and you're dead! I'm pretty sure neither of us can drive."

"No." Cole agreed. "But I'm getting fairly good with possession."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

" _Zane's_ here? And Garmadon?" Nya bit her lip as her brother shared what he'd learned. "I wonder if Jay's alright. They didn't say anything about him?"

"Nothing on him or Lloyd." Kai shook his head. "But Nya, the kid was right!"

"About what?"

"It _wasn't_ Garmadon who set off the virus. Before Wu realized I was there, I heard him talking to Borg. Apparently, the same thing that happened before is happening now. But it all started _before_ we got Garmadon out of jail."

"Then who do you think it is?" Nya made a mental list of all the customers they'd had on their not-so-legal side business. None of them seemed like proper candidates. They had been only thieves and low lives.

"I don't-"

Kai's statement was interrupted as the door open sheepishly, as if whoever was on the other side of it didn't quite know if this was the right place to be. Kai and Nya straightened, their suspicions and theories quickly silenced.

As the door revealed Zane, they both visibly relaxed. Nya gave him a wave. "Hey, Zane. Long time no see."

"Hello," Zane said. "Kai you are here too."

"Yup." Kai nodded quickly, eager to avoid talking about how bad his plan to rescue Nya had gone. "So what happened?"

"There was a man. I believe his name was Ronin. He captured both myself and Garmadon."

"That's! Yeah!" Kai turned to his sister, pointing at Zane with a persistent motion. "That's the guy that got me caught in the first place. See? He's good. He's got to be _really_ good if he managed to bring in Garmadon _and_ Zane. I could have probably gotten you out if it hadn't had been for him."

"I do not believe that would be the case. ECHO is highly guarded. Even with your abilities, there was a very low chance of you succeeding."

Kai pouted, and Nya chuckled. Her laugh then halted abruptly, a thought flashing in her mind. She beamed up at Zane, gaping momentarily as she struggled to speak.

"Zane, Zane!" Nya stood, and Zane took a step back in confusion. "You don't have a bracelet!"

"I do not." Zane agreed, not quite understanding why this was a fact to scream about. "I have never had one."

"No, no." Kai shook his head, jumping in with his sister. He held up his wrist. "You don't have one of _these_. These prevent us from using our powers. But you don't have one! They must not have known you had powers too. Come to think of. . . Wu never. . . mentioned you. At all."

"And." Nya frowned along with her brother. "Pixal. She had no idea you existed."

"Then how. . ." Both siblings turned to each other, exchanging looks of distrust before firing them back toward Zane.

"ECHO was the one that gave us our powers. But Wu never mentioned _you_ at all." Kai said, accusingly. Unconsciously, he stepped in front of his sister. "How come you have abilities, same as us? Who _are_ you, exactly?"

"Oh!" Zane's eyes sparked with understanding. "I am an android. I was built independently, by a man named Julien. Ronin somehow blocked my systems, so that I may not use ice."

Zane explained this nonchalantly, although he was still personally at odds with the reality of it. Nya and Kai blinked in unison, mouths agape with surprise. Anyone other than Zane would have found the image amusing. As it was, Zane only waited for the surprise to fade.

Once it did, Kai rubbed his forehead, while Nya let out a slow breath. It was she who spoke first, crossing her arms over her chest. "Why didn't you tell us before? I. . . Wow."

"I was not aware of the fact," Zane said. "I was quite as disturbed as you two."

"How did you find out?" Kai asked, but before Zane had time to answer, he continued. "What happened after I left?"

"We headed to Birchwood forest, as we said we would. There, we found a lab. It belonged to Dr. Julien. That is where I found the blueprints of my design." Zane frowned at the memory, but willed himself to keep talking, determined to bring the siblings up to date. "After that, Garmadon explained to us what had truly happened to ECHO. He mentioned there was something. . . wrong within ECHO's systems, which was why he was forced to detonate the building."

"So it really _wasn't_ him that created the weird virus," Kai said. "The what exactly, are we fighting against?"

* * *

The elevator doors slid shut. Pixal then requested the lift to take her to the top of ECHO.

Borg had insisted she meet him there, once she was done with Wu's request. Pixal did not think much of this. She was accustomed to bouncing back and forth between them both, the list of things she had to do never actually reaching an end.

Which was just as well. She did not know what she would do, had she no orders to follow.

The elevator stopped. A bizarrely involuntary shiver traveled through her wires as she stepped into the hall. Pixal frowned at the sensation, eyes studying the world before her. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

But things _felt_ out of the ordinary. Had, in fact, felt this way for quite a while.

Pixal had worked to ignore it, assuring herself that if anything truly was wrong Borg would act on it. The weird, pulsing presence she felt growing within the building had to be nothing but a malfunction on her part.

She arrived at Borg's lab. Half of the lights had been left off, leaving the room in an eerie half-glow. Pixal wondered about this for a second, before pushing the thought away. It was absolutely none of her business to question Borg.

Pixal could see him working intently on something. As she approached, she recognized the thing in his hands was a sort of helmet, dangerous looking wires twisted around it every which way. The object made her feeling of foreboding increase, but she kept it hidden.

"How may I help you, Sir?"

Borg turned to her, with his kind eyes and soft smile. Pixal could feel her concerns fading. "Ah! Pixal. How did everything go with Wu?"

"He asked Ronin to return to the search as fast as possible. He then left to speak with his brother. I was tasked with escorting . . . Zane to the others. That is the name of the android I mentioned in my previous message."

"I'll have to get a good look at him, he sounds fascinating." Borg stared off into nothing for a couple of minutes. "Yes, yes. Julien's work was always most impressive.

"Let's get down to business though, shall we? Help me with this."

Borg nodded toward a different object. "Julien must have left this design behind before. . . the whole bomb in ECHO thing. It should work better than my wheelchair does. I agree, it looks a little. . . bizarre but, I'll be able to control its movements with the helmet. Using my mind instead of my hands!"

Pixal helped him move what resembled the lower half of a metal spider onto the floor, where it would be easier to work with. Borg continued. "Yes, not my design of choice, but oh! It'll be ever so helpful."

For lack of words, Pixal stayed silent, only helping Borg as needed. But something nagged in the back of her mind. Borg believed Dr. Julien had created the blueprints and left them behind. Except. . . That couldn't really have been possible.

Garmadon's bomb had wiped everything in ECHO's database. Pixal knew this.

Wherever the blueprints had come from, they were _not_ from Dr. Julien.

* * *

Jay's mind faded in and out, as they flew over the desert.

His mind felt strangely numb. Overall, this was soothing, compared to the usual disarray of electric feelings. It left him with absolutely no desire to do anything, other than keep his eyes shut.

His memories had also become strangely vivid. He could remember Cole's words and expressions with painful clarity. They replayed behind his eyelids, over, and over.

Another jolt. Jay opened his eyesThey

They were flying over the city now. ECHO was a large smudge in the distance, growing closer with each second, as the sun rose behind it.

"Awake for good now?" The man driving asked, giving Jay a smirk. Jay stretched in response. "Good. We're almost there. Then I can go back and find the kid. I'm sure he was somewhere with you. Maybe inside that junkyard?"

"Why are you bringing us to ECHO?" Jay asked instead, not wanting to risk giving anything away.

"Eh. That's what Wu asked for. Don't know much more beyond that. Don't really care to ask."

"Hmm."

The last moments of the ride were spent in silence. The man lowered the vehicle gently onto the roof, where a familiar face awaited them. Jay had seen Wu many times on TV. He frowned, surprised at having remembered.

"You need handcuffs? Or are you going to listen?" The man twirled a pair of cuffs on one of his fingers.

Jay shrugged. "I'll listen. What else am I going to do, jump off the roof?"

He chuckled at the words to ease their severity, but his throat felt tight and clogged, causing a more whimper-like sound instead. The man frowned.

"Listen, kid, I don't know what made you go crazy in the desert, but whatever it was, I'm sure it'll turn out fine."

"Right. Sure. Yeah." Jay hopped out of the vehicle, eager to move away from the stranger's kindness. He walked up to Wu slowly, quite unsure of what would happen next. Usually, this would trigger sharp sparks , but with the bracelet dampening his lightning, Jay felt only a subtle mix of nerves and anticipation.

"Hello, Jay." Wu held out his hand. The smile he wore was warm and friendly, which melted some of Jay's doubts, but he reminded himself that Wu was the one who had fueled him with lighting in the first place.

Regardless, Jay wasn't much for acting stand-offish, so he took the man's hand and shook. "Hey."

"Didn't expect you back this soon, Ronin." Wu looked back at the man that had brought him in. "I'm impressed."

"Be ready to be impressed again then. I'll be back with the kid in a couple of hours."

"Actually, when you find him, just give me a call. Don't bring him to ECHO."

Ronin shrugged at the new orders, moving back to his vehicle after giving Jay a final smile.

Wu turned back to Jay. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions. Your friends will be more than willing to help you answer them. Follow me"

Jay did. The thought of seeing Nya and Kai pushed back the ache of having lost Cole, at least momentarily. They took an elevator, but once they'd reached what Jay assumed was the right floor, Wu made no attempt to follow him out into the hall.

"It's breakfast time, so try the third door on your right. Hopefully, they'll have left enough for you to eat. Please, ask them all you need to know." Jay nodded slowly, stepping out of the elevator and into the polished floor. "Oh, and Jay?"

"Uh-huh?"

"I do look forward to working with you."

Before Jay could question this statement, the doors slid shut, leaving him alone in the empty hall.

He shook his head, trying to keep his mind from focusing on how _truly_ alone he was. Again. Cole's absence felt like a hole in his chest, one he wasn't sure he'd ever be able to fill with anything other than forced distractions.

 _Third door on the right_. Jay repeated these words to himself as he moved, in order to keep other, less savory thoughts from his head. He twisted the handle and opened the door, stepping into one of the nicest rooms he'd ever seen.

He was suddenly tackled by a brute force, which made him stumble back out into the hall. Black hair clouded his vision, and he recognized it instantly. Jay returned Nya's tight hug. He felt infinitely glad for the bracelet, otherwise, he would have shocked his friend clear across the room.

"You're alright!" She said, stepping back.

" _You're_ alright." He countered. "You got shot!"

"No biggie." Nya shrugged. "Gunshot wound? Please. Takes a lot more to take me down."

"No kidding."

They stepped back into the room, where Kai gave him a friendly wave and Zane responded with a courteous nod. They were both sitting at a table that was unnecessarily large, overfilled with delicious smelling food.

"So what's. . . going on?" Jay sat. Nya offered him some of the food, but he turned it down with a shake of his head. "The . . . Wu said you guys would explain?"

"Well, turns out ECHO is responsible for our powers." Nya's eyes shone as she explained. "And now, well, now Wu wants to train us to be like, super soldiers. To guard Ninjago! He even wants us to help him with-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Jay shook his head. "And you're okay with _helping_ him? I mean, yeah, he seems like a nice guy and all, but with the way he handle the whole, giving powers to people thing. . . I didn't think you'd trust him."

Zane nodded in agreement. Kai sat up straighter, eyes narrowing.

"You mean, you knew?" Nya asked.

"Garmadon informed us." Zane explained. "He told us about ECHO conducting human experiments, and how you three and Cole were taken in as a last resort."

"Last resort?" Nya and Kai asked at the same time.

"Yeah. Because, you know, who'd want some crazy scientists messing around with their kids? Your parents needed the money ECHO was providing. Same with Cole's dad. And I. . ." Jay shook his head, unable to speak the words. "What _did_ Wu tell you?"

"What did Garmadon tell _you_?" Nya mirrored Jay's words.

"No one wanted to be part of ECHO's program." Jay answered first.

" _Everyone_ wanted to be part of ECHO's program."

"Think about it." Jay pressed on. "The whole idea of it is risky. Why would people agree to it so willingly?"

"And why would _Garmadon_ be telling the truth about anything?"

Jay and Nya huffed, both unable to answer the other's questions.

"Maybe they're both lying." Kai shrugged. "I vote we don't trust either of them."

"Until the true fact are discovered, I agree with Kai." Zane nodded.

"Fine." Both Nya and Jay shrugged. Then Jay continued. "It doesn't matter either way. What matters is that we get out of here."

"Or we could help Wu out. He needs us to get the people that escaped Kryptarium. It's _our_ fault. Even if the man is lying about some things, we should still help him."

"I don't know, I'm not too keen on helping people who send one-eyed bounty hunters after me." Jay squinted his eyes, refusing to agree with Nya.

"Good point." Kai nodded.

"Oh, okay, well go on and break out of here. Have fun being on the run for the rest of your life." Nya hissed, surprised at how passionate she felt about defending Wu.

" _Also_ a good point." Kai said.

"For the time being, maybe we could all simply, agree to disagree?" Zane suggested. "Regardless of what we settle for, it seems to me that we should all stick together."

Reluctantly, Jay and Nya agreed.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Crossing the desert took them a whole day.

Which was, all things considered, a fairly reasonable amount of time. Most of all compared to how long it would have been, if they'd been crazy enough to walk.

Despite this, Cole was restless. Due to his inability to posses things without rest, they'd been forced to stop every so often. And every time they did, Cole could picture Jay, trapped in a frenzy of lighting, alone in the task of bringing himself under control.

"I _literally_ said to him, that the powers weren't his fault. And there I went, blaming him! If there's a prize for being the worst friend ever, I've won it ten times over."

Lloyd had answered Cole's comments, at first. But Cole hadn't really listened. Thus, Lloyd began to ignore his words and eventually, Cole caught on. He internalized the complaints instead.

When they had reached the city at long last, a place to sleep, and a place to eat was a must. Lloyd refused to go any further with an empty stomach. Luckily for them, possession and the ability to hack Ninjago's credit currencies gave them endless possibilities.

In the end, Lloyd had begrudgingly settled for fast food and a motel, after Cole's incessant nagging about needing to lay low.

"So do you have a plan?"

Lloyd sat crossed legged on the motel's only bed. It creaked beneath him over the smallest of movements, and was coated in a particularly unpleasant smell. With a frown, Lloyd took a bite of his food, chewing slowly as he searched for an answer to Cole's question.

"We could sneak in with a tour group. I know they do those. Our school would take us, sometimes. Well. Not me. I somehow always managed to be in trouble." Lloyd shook his head. "Half the time I didn't even _do_ anything. The teachers just had it out for me!"

"Uh-huh, okay, let's save the Lloyd Chronicles for a time when we're not the last remaining members of our team." Cole waved Lloyd on. "Tour group. Okay. Do we know the times?"

"No, but we can ask. They didn't show my picture on TV. Maybe they won't know me. And anyway, you can just possess one of the workers and find out, no?" Lloyd shrugged, uninterested in details. "So that's how we get in. Then I can hack the elevators, and we can look for the others."

"All this, somehow done fast enough so that we may get out before they raise and alarm."

"Yeah!"

Cole shook his head. "Well. . . I guess it'll have to do. It's a start, anyway."

Lloyd nodded, then flicked on the tv, flipping through the channels in the search of something worth watching. Cole turned away, and moved to the window. He could see ECHO from where he stood. He really hoped Jay was alright.

The sound of the TV stopped abruptly. Cole frowned. Then Lloyd spoke, with the unsettling static filled tone.

"Do you want to regain your life?"

Cole turned away from the window. Lloyd's eyes were glowing a deep shade of purple, which let him know he wasn't truly speaking with the child.

He turned away again, unable to stand the sight. "Of course. But that's impossible."

"You've seen people wield the elements, and you still believe something may be impossible?" The sound of Lloyd's empty chuckle made Cole shudder. "I could do it for you. My abilities surpass everything."

"And why would you do that?"

"A ghost and a child do not have very good odds at infiltrating ECHO. And I do not wish to fail"

Cole didn't answer. Whatever was taking up residence inside Lloyd's body had a fair point. Yet, it exaggerated. With Lloyd's command over technology, and Cole's strengthening possession, they would be more than capable of sneaking in. Then, with the others, bursting out would be a walk in the park.

Still.

Cole had seen Lloyd's powers first hand. He had no doubt that whatever was inside him could truly do anything. Cole wanted to agree, despite the protests from his common sense. Life had been ripped from him unjustly, and there was just so much he still wanted to experience. He did not want to carry on being a ghost.

"How would it work?" Cole gathered enough courage to turn back toward the child. Lloyd sat more stiffly than any ten year old should have. His expressionless features studied Cole.

"The process could be painful. But would it not be worth it?"

Cole pretended to think. But in truth, the choice had already been made.

He stepped forward slowly, aware there would be consequences, and uncaring of this fact.

"Alright."

* * *

Pixal moved through the hall, responding to Borg's summons.

They flashed urgently now, having been ignored for some seconds too long. Pixal chastised herself, at having grown distracted. Her job was to assist. Not to waste her time with ECHO's so-called guests.

But the time she spent with Nya did not feel like a waste. She was learning things every minute, and to Pixal, every bit of new knowledge was precious. This, however, was still no excuse.

Pixal reached Borg's office in record time. She walked inside and bowed her head as a form of apology. Then she looked up. And for once, it was a challenge to keep a neutral expression.

Cyrus Borg had finished his invention. The spider-like legs held up his body, and the heavy helmet was tightened around his head. Only one of his eyes was visible, and it glowed red. Or it _seemed_ to glow red. But this was not possible.

"How can I help you, sir?" Pixal offered, glad that it was impossible for her voice to shake with emotion.

"Tell Wu that Ronin contacted us." Something was not right with Borg's voice. "Tell him Lloyd has been found. Hiding in the ruins of Ouroboros."

Pixal almost frowned. She knew Ronin had not made any contact. Borg wanted her to . . . lie?

"Well?" Borg's voice was curt. He moved his arms, ushering Pixal out of the room. "Go on. Let him know."

Accustomed to following orders, Pixal stepped out of the room. Yet once the door was shut, she stood still, wavering with indecision. Pixal knew she was Borg's assistant, first and foremost. She owed no loyalty to Wu, not truly. But lying? It did not add up.

Regardless, orders were orders, and she couldn't go against Borg simply because she did not understand. So Pixal moved forward once again, in search of Wu.

She found him with his brother, inside the prison cell that had been added to ECHO solely to hold Garmadon within. Pixal walked inside after unlocking the door, struggling to swallow her doubts.

Wu and Garmadon both turned to her together. Pixal could hardly believe they were brothers. Both carried extremely different features. Two sides of the same coin, she supposed.

 _Focus_.

"Sir." She bowed her head. "There is news from Ronin. He has found Lloyd."

Garmadon straightened, suddenly alert. The expression of nonchalance he had been sporting wiped from his face in an instant. Wu gave Pixal a thankful nod. "Where are they?"

"He was hidden within the ruins of Ouroboros."

"Very well. Thank you Pixal."

With heavy feelings of confusion and guilt, Pixal exited the room. She moved through ECHO without truly thinking, allowing her steps to guide her where they would. When they came to a halt, she was not surprised to find herself on the floor that housed Nya.

She gave Nya's door a soft knock, surprised by her desperate need to confide in someone.

* * *

"Let me go with you, Wu." Garmadon hated to sound desperate, but he knew the only way to get through to his brother was by being vulnerable. "Please."

Wu studied Garmadon. Now that he was unsure of the man's guilt, Wu didn't feel like he was capable of denying him anything. He gave a nod. "Of course. We'll go together. And we'll figure this out."

"Thank you." Garmadon cleared his throat, eager to shake off the emotion in his voice. "Should we head out now?"

"I don't see why not."

At Wu's request, a helicopter awaited them at the ECHO's rooftop. Garmadon couldn't help but smile at the sight. Ten years without anything more than the same four walls and his son's letters to keep him company. And now, the world moved at an incredible pace, throwing experiences at him without a break.

If Lloyd hadn't been the one tangled at the center of everything, Garmadon would have found this all to be a grand adventure.

As it was, his worry mingled with the excitement, leaving him in between positive and negative emotions. Garmadon climbed onto the helicopter beside his brother. The pilot eyed him with wide-eyed amazement. Garmadon gave the girl a wink, causing her eyes to widen. She turned away quickly, hands shaking as she worked.

"To Ouroboros please, Harumi," Wu ordered, and the young girl nodded. He turned back to his brother, then fitted the headset over his head. He signaled for Garmadon to do the same, so they would be able to speak over the spinning blades. "She's quite the prodigy, you know. Only fifteen years old and already flies better than anyone."

"Impressive," Garmadon said, coaxing a smile from the young pilot. "It's always good to be ambitious. At fifteen I had my fair share of accomplishments as well."

"At fifteen you were too busy stressing our father to do anything of importance." Wu chuckled, and Garmadon frowned.

The helicopter lifted, moving to follow Borg's false trail.

* * *

Jay found the bracelet to be a blessing.

Although he still couldn't quite recall most of his older memories, every event that had occurred since they'd decided to help the snarky ten-year-old was vivid in his mind. He could recall _everything_.

Well. Not everything. But more than usual. And to him, that surely _felt_ like everything.

He found himself sitting still a lot, doing nothing more than replaying the memories in his mind. Up to a certain point, of course. He didn't dare to willfully recall his argument with Cole. Regardless of his efforts, or maybe because of them, the memory surfaced every time he lost focus on keeping it away.

Jay hadn't told anyone about the source of Cole's death. Although he wanted very much to shed the weight from his trembling shoulders, he feared the reactions of the others too much. So he let himself carry the weight alone. After all, he deserved it, didn't he?

With a frown, Jay breathed out, trying to move his mind into a more positive setting.

"You should really eat something. When Lloyd comes to rescue us, we must be energized."

Jay's eyes shifted up, connecting with Zane's. He gave the robot a smile. "I'm fine. You really think the pipsqueak is going to come to get us?."

"I believe Lloyd feels like getting us and his father out of here is the right thing to do. Thus, he will attempt it."

"Well if he finds a way to get these bracelets off, getting out shouldn't be a problem. But how's a kid going to find a way _in_ here without getting caught?" Jay shook his head. "Face it, Zane, we're Wu's pawns now."

"I have faith in Lloyd." Zane shrugged. "He will find a way. Besides, you are the one who advised me to use positive thinking."

"Even if it's a lie." Jay chuckled, and Zane nodded.

"I'll admit the kid _is_ stubborn. And he's got those. . . powers. Which is. . . weird. If you think about it." Jay frowned. He hadn't actually stopped to think anything of it before, but now, he was eager for the distraction. "He wasn't part of the original experiment. I mean, you weren't either, but we know Dr. Julien is the reason for your abilities. But Lloyd?"

"Hmm." Zane leaned against the wall, features tightening into a frown.

"No one gave him anything on purpose. And yet his abilities surpass ours. It's like they've got no limit." Jay struggled to connect the dots before him. "So where did they come from?"

"I believe I know something that could help you find an answer."

"Oh?" Jay sat up straighter.

"Food."

Jay slumped back down. "Seriously, Zane? I thought you had something."

"With proper nourishment, your brain will work much better. I am convinced it will help."

"You're not going to leave me alone, are you?"

"There are not many other things to do." Jay was surprised to see that the android was smiling at him. "So no. Possibly not."

Jay faked a groan, but he felt warmly content that someone cared enough to bug him. "Fine, then."

* * *

"Even if Wu _is_ some sort of crazy evil genius," Nya laid back on the floor of the room she'd claimed as her own. Kai sat crossed legged atop one of the small coffee tables, picking at the food Pixal had brought in earlier in the day. "Him asking us to help him find the people that escaped Kryptarium doesn't seem like a bad idea."

"Doesn't _seem_ like one. That doesn't mean it isn't." Kai said. "What if it's just a trap, so he can kill us off?"

"He could kill us right now. We're literally powerless and in his hands."

"Yeah but-" Kai made a motion with his hand as he tried to come up with words. " Maybe he doesn't want any witnesses. So he sends us off into a suicide mission."

"When, exactly, did you become so pessimistic?" Nya scowled, growing increasingly annoyed. "You're the one that was always saying, Oh we're special, Oh we'll be heroes. What's with you now?"

 _I almost lost you, that's what_. Kai thought, but shrugged instead. "I'm just making sure you're careful."

" _You're_ making sure _I'm_ careful." Nya forced a laugh. "Yeah. Because that makes sense. It's not like you're-"

A soft knock came from the door, halting Nya's words. The knock had been so subtle, she momentarily wondered if she'd only imagined it. One questioning look from Kai assured her she had not.

Nya stood. She walked toward the door and opened it, expecting to see Jay, or even Zane.

Instead, she saw Pixal. "Oh. Hey. You're back!"

Nya gave the silver-skinned android a smile. Pixal gave her a smile in return, although it was nearly invisible. "Yes. There are some things I. . . wish to say."

"Come on in. I was getting tired of hearing nothing but nonsense." Nya said. Kai rolled his eyes at this, but he was too curious about Pixal's odd statement to hiss something back at his sister. "Is something wrong?"

"I believe so." Pixal gave a nod. "Although, I am not sure I should be sharing this."

"Hey, you can trust us." Nya gave Pixal a reassuring smile.

"Well. . ." Pixal's hands shifted. Nya had _never_ seen the android emanate so much emotion. Her curiosity increased ten-fold, but she hung back, afraid of scaring her away from speaking. "Borg gave me a rather curious order. He asked me to tell Wu that Lloyd had been found. But this was a lie."

"Huh." Kai frowned. "You think Borg's trying to help us escape? With Wu out of the way. . ."

"But why would he? And wouldn't he have let us know?"

"I do not think Borg is trying to aid you," Pixal said, plainly.

"Well. . . if we don't have any idea of anything, the best we can do is stay on our toes." Kai tugged at the bracelet, huffing with annoyance. "I wish we could take these stupid things off. Then regardless of whatever happened, we could take it."

Pixal studied the bracelets. She knew exactly how to remove them, having taken part in their creation. She refrained from sharing this fact. She was already stepping out of line, as it was. Giving them a warning would have to suffice.

"If the kid's crazy enough to try and rescue us," Nya said, eyes shifting toward the window. Nothing more than glass, keeping her from freedom. That, and a 100 foot drop. "I hope he hurries."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Cole flexed his fingers slowly.

He could feel the muscles and bones stretching beneath his tanned skin, aching softly as they. One by one, he folded them into a fist. With his nails digging against the palm of his hand, Cole smiled, then laughed.

Something was pushed roughly against his head, and he jolted, but it was only Lloyd. The kid had pressed a black cap down upon Cole's head. "That should cover the weird scar."

Cole nodded, then refocused on his surroundings, pulling his mind back out of the ecstasy of being alive.

They were inside a small shop, which connected directly to ECHO. Cole turned to one of the mirrors, still pleasantly surprised at seeing his reflection looking back at him. The hat Lloyd had chosen had ECHO's symbol etched in white at the center of it.

Cole liked how the minimalistic design looked against his thick mane of black hair. Lloyd liked how it hid the pulsing green scar on his friend's forehead.

"Tour starts at 10. Focus, okay?" Lloyd's eyes shifted as he talked. He'd never felt this nervous before. Not even when they'd snuck into Kryptarium prison. Back then, things had somehow felt like a game. Now, he felt sickeningly aware of everything around him, and was infinitely glad that Cole's hand was now something he could hold.

"Huh?" Cole blinked, looking away from himself and back down at the child, who was clutching his fingers a little too tight.

"I said _focus_." Lloyd hissed. "We won't have too much time."

"We'll have enough time." Cole shrugged. He was having a really hard time worrying about much of anything. Looking back up at his reflection, Cole gave himself a smile. He then sniffed the air and grimaced. "Maybe we should buy you a change of clothes, kid. You smell like you just crawled out of the trash."

" _No_." Lloyd hissed, letting go of Cole's hand to hug the hooded sweatshirt against himself. "That doesn't matter. And _you_ wouldn't smell good either, if you'd had a body through half the things we've done!"

"Maybe ease back on the shouting." Cole smiled sheepishly at the people who'd turned to look down at the pouting child. When the strangers made brief eye contact with his light grey eyes, Cole had to suppress the urge to break into a small dance. He was _seen_. Was there anything more amazing than that?

Not only that, but he could also be heard. By everyone! Earlier in the day, he'd stopped by a store to ask directions. The guy behind the counter had then responded to his question. Cole's mind had been blown away by the interaction, and he might or might not have freaked out the poor cashier by standing still with a dopey smile.

Everything in life was filled with small miracles, and Cole doubted he'd ever get tired of experiencing them all.

"-bathroom should work. Everything here is connected with everything else and- . . .Cole?" Lloyd tugged Cole's hand roughly. The former ghost stumbled to the side, shaken away from his thoughts of wonder.

"Hmm?"

"You don't want me to shout, but you don't listen to me when I don't!"

Cole pressed his hand against the child's mouth. Lloyd bit down on Cole's fingers. " _Ow_. . . ha. That hurt!"

Lloyd rolled his eyes.

"Okay. I'm sorry. I'm listening." Cole took a slow breath. "I promise."

"I was _saying_ , I can access the cameras in the building from anywhere. So we can break off to the bathroom, and I'll check around to see what floor the others and my dad are on. Then I can hack the elevator and. . . take us there. Then- Then we break out."

"It'll work out, Lloyd." Cole gave Lloyd's small shoulder a comforting squeeze. "Things always turn out well for the good guys."

"Yeah," Lloyd said. "But only until the end."

* * *

When they finally landed in Ouroboros, there was no sign of Ronin.

Wu was the first to step out of the helicopter, and into the sun. It only took a couple of seconds for his skin to be coated in a thin layer of sweat. He squinted his eyes, shielding them with his hand, trying to take in the bright surroundings.

Behind him, Garmadon followed, movements less hesitant. The sand parted roughly each time he stepped, creating a clear path behind him. "Ronin's not here."

"Very observant." Wu teased. Garmadon turned to him with a frown, and Wu gave him a light smile.

"You don't think he took Lloyd back to ECHO, do you?"

"Of course not. I told him not to do so."

"You're _that_ sure everyone will do as you say, huh? Got the world wrapped around your fingers, Wu?" Garmadon shook his head, then kicked at the sand in frustration. He'd finally gotten his son back, only to have him ripped away almost instantly. He was growing increasingly tired of the way fate toyed with him. "Where is he, then?"

"I'll try to contact him. And I'll contact Borg." Wu turned back toward the helicopter, leaving Garmadon alone with his frustrations. He climbed inside, and was met with more irritation. Harumi. Her hands were flying wildly above the controls, flipping switches and pressing buttons in what was surely a learned pattern.

"This is EHW-997. Battery has failed and we have no supplies. Respond immediately." Her voice was quick and precise, each consonant a bullet in her mouth. She repeated the message again, then growled. Wu assumed there was no response from ECHO.

"What's wrong?" Wu moved forward, capturing the girl's attention. She turned quickly, and it took a couple of seconds from the anger to fade from her eyes.

"I'm not sure." She shook her head, voice soft now, almost as if she were an entirely different person. "There's. . . been some sort of malfunction. And I can't get ahold of ECHO. I think the channels are blocked."

"Blocked?" Garmadon echoed the last word with a tight frown. Harumi gave a small nod.

Wu reached for the small cellphone in his back pocket. The moment he unlocked the screen, apps opened and closed without his command, freezing and overlapping with one another. As Wu struggled to reach the _Call_ option, the screen cracked from within, filling itself with dozens of colors without any meaning.

"It isn't working. . ." Wu lowered the phone. "Something must be wrong. Back at ECHO."

Garmadon cursed, ran his hands through his grayed hair and cursed again. "That android of yours. She lied to us. I should have known. If the virus is returning then- . . . we shouldn't have trusted the technology. Ronin was never here! It was all a dumb way to get us out of the building."

"Do you think. . . Lloyd is at ECHO, then?" Wu crossed his arms, struggling to think. "Well, Borg is there. Borg will. . . fix things. He was the one that figured out you weren't behind the attacks. I'm sure he'll be on his toes."

" _Borg?_ " Garmadon gave a mocking laugh. "That man is far too blinded by technology. We can't rely on him. We have to go back."

"How, exactly? You plan on walking back to the city?"

"If I have to." Garmadon hissed. Harumi's eyes flashed with admiration.

"You need to calm down. We need to think this through. I'm sure if we wait, someone will contact us."

"That's the difference between us Wu." Garmadon shook his head slowly, before dropping back out into the desert. "You sit still when people you care about are in danger.

" _I_ have always been the only one to do what needs to be done."

* * *

Borg recognized Lloyd instantly.

He had seen many pictures of the child. And of course, he could recognize Garmadon's features in his face. The young man walking alongside him was surprisingly familiar as well. Cole Brookstone, if Borg wasn't mistaken.

Borg wanted to stop them. He wanted to usher them out of the building and hide them away from ECHO's new all-seeing eyes. But he could not.

His body no longer belonged to him. The minute he'd slipped his new invention upon his head. . . something else had taken over. Borg was only a spectator now.

So he watched as Lloyd and Cole moved through the crowd together, delving deeper and deeper into an invisible spiderweb.

Borg's hands moved over the keyboard before him. One by one, his fingers disabled all security. Lloyd would reach the others without any alarms being raised. And then what?

He couldn't imagine the outcome. He couldn't even fully comprehend the events that were unfolding.

 _Tap-Tap._ More keys weighed down by his confident fingers. The elevators ceased to function.

All, but one.

Borg's body then turned away from all the screens, apparently satisfied with its actions. The spider-like legs moved beneath him in a fluid motion, carrying him out of the security room and back into his lab.

Hidden behind the low light, four capsules stared back at him. They were each large enough to comfortably hold two people. Although no sign hinted at their exact purpose, Borg had drawn an educated guess from the blueprints they devices had been birthed from.

After all, he'd built something very, very similar before.

* * *

Lloyd pulled his hand away from the bathroom wall.

Cole waited for the purple hue to fade away from Lloyd's eyes before speaking. As grateful as he was to the powerful presence within the child, it still creeped him out. "So? Did you find them?"

"Yes. They're in the 10th floor. We should get moving."

Lloyd turned around, heading out of the bathroom at a quick pace. "Wait, kid!"

Cole trotted forward to catch up. He couldn't blame the child for being eager. Cole felt jumpy himself. He could hardly wait to see the surprise in Jay's eyes when he spotted his now solid friend.

Lloyd waited for the tour group to move out sight, before marching up to the elevator doors. The instant Lloyd reached them, they slid open, as if they'd been waiting for the child all along.

Cole's eyes studied the cameras along the hall, before hurrying in. How long would it be until someone stopped them?

"You disabled the cameras, right?"

Lloyd did not answer. The elevator began to move upward.

Cole began to fidget. The nerves that had escaped him before invaded him fully now. He momentarily wondered if his heart was seconds away from bursting straight through his chest. The elevator shuddered to a stop. The small screen above the doors flashed the number _10_.

They moved out into the hall.

"This is too easy." Cole shook his head. "I know you've got their security in the bag but-. . . I would have expected _something_. You don't think this is a trap, do you? After all, they _did_ want us. So . . . we're basically making their jobs easier, aren't we?"

"It's alright."

"Glad to see you got that confidence back. But I think we should be a _little_ worried."

Lloyd didn't respond. He didn't have time to. As soon as the words had exited Cole's mouth, one of the doors slammed open roughly. Cole flinched at the sound.

" _Cole_."

Cole focused on the figure standing in the doorway. Jay's surprise was every bit as satisfying as he'd anticipated. His blue eyes were wide, eyebrows shooting up to hide behind his auburn hair. His mouth opened and closed as he took Cole's body in.

"Jay," Cole said, and smiled.

"You're-" Jay shook his head and rubbed his eyes. "You have a hat."

"Observant as usual I see." Cole laughed, before pulling his best friend into a tight hug.

"I- I'm sorry about-"

"Hey, it's okay. As you can see, I've managed to fix it."

" _How_?"

Before he could respond, the others stepped out of the room Jay had been in. Cole stepped away from the hug, giving the others a courteous nod. "Kai. Nya. Zane. You guys ready to go? This is a rescue, by the way. We should probably hurry. Even if Lloyd's got the security in his pocket, they're bound to figure something is amiss sooner or later."

"You're. . . the ghost." Kai said, a look of surprise that rivaled Jay's imprinted on his features. "Are you the ghost?"

"Well, I _was_ the ghost. But really, as amusing as seeing you all unsettled is, we should probably get going."

"R-right." Nya nodded, trying to keep herself from bombarding Cole with questions. There would be time for that later, she supposed. Zane was the only one that seemed unfazed by the turn of events. Having figured out he was an android had sort of lengthened his expectations on what should or should not be possible.

Cole swiveled around on his heels, leading the group through the hall, and back to the elevator. He was surprised to see Lloyd hadn't moved at all. He would have expected the child to rush through, searching for Garmadon.

 _Garmadon_. Right. Cole turned back around. Jay stumbled at the sudden stop. "Is Garmadon with you guys? He's. . . sort of also part of the rescue mission."

Jay turned to face the others, after giving Cole a shrug. "He wasn't here when I got here."

"I do not remember where they took him." Zane shook his head. "When I came back to myself, he was not with me."

"Jay!" Nya shouted her friend's name, eyes widening at the sight before her.

The shouted warning came seconds too late. A strong grip tightened around Jay's waist, lifting him off the ground. Beside him, Cole's body did the same. He turned as much as the grip allowed him to, skin growing pale as he spotted the source.

Long tendrils of darkness grew from Lloyd's body. The child's face was down, and Jay could see his small fists tightened against his sides. Jay struggled with the shadowed limb that gripped him, but it was somehow impossible to grasp, his hands slipping through as he fought to free himself.

" _Lloyd_." Cole hissed the child's name, struggling just as much. "Lloyd _focus_."

Lloyd's face tilted upward. His mouth was tilted down into a frown. Both of his irises glowed bright purple, while the rest of his eyes was coated in the same darkness that stood around him. "Lloyd is _gone._ "

The static-like voice filled the hall. As the sentence ended, The shadowed tendrils holding Jay and Cole snapped to the side, slamming both of their bodies hard against the wall. Their eyes flashed open in surprise before slipping into unconsciousness.

"We have to go, We have to go." Kai took hold of his sister's arm, pulling her back and away from the child. She allowed herself to be led, mouth still open in a disbelieving impression. "Crap- Crap that's the only elevator out of here."

Zane followed closely behind as they moved. All at once, His footsteps were silenced. Nya stopped moving as well, forcing Kai to let go of her hand. "Zane?"

One of Lloyd's shadows had snaked through the ground, coming into contact with Zane's unmoving feet. It traveled up his leg slowly, almost tenderly, as opposed to the brute force that had been used with the other two.

Kai turned back around to retrieve his sister. "Nya. He's an android. _Android._ Lloyd can-"

Nya gave a jolt as her eyes reached Zane's face. His eyes glowed purple now, and they offered no recognition when they met with hers. The android took a step forward, and Nya finally turned away, giving her brother a nod before running again.

"We can lose them. Then- Then go back around. I'm sure Wu would be okay with letting us go if he knew his nephew had gone full-on whatever-the-heck-that-is mode." Kai turned the corner as they reached the end of the hall. Nya followed. In the time they'd spent here, they had both grown to learn the floor's layout fairly well.

"Wait, wait." Nya didn't slow as she spoke, but her head shook. "Wu. Wu's gone. Remember? Pixal said. . ."

"That Borg sent him on a wild goose chase." Kai peeked around the corner before turning again. The could hear Lloyd and Zane's footsteps somewhere behind them, but definitely not close enough to be of any concern. "Well. That's fine. We don't need Wu. We just need to get out of here."

"And the others?"

"We'll come back. Once we find a way to snap off these dumb bracelets. For now, I don't think we'll do much good if we try to fight."

They finally allowed themselves to slow as they turned into the next hall. They'd gone full circle. They could see the elevator at the end. No one was there to stop them. Although their breaths rasped against their burning lungs, they had enough stamina to trot forward.

"Maybe we should try to. . . Carry them out." Nya edged closer to Jay's unconscious body. Her head snapped back down the hall, but it was still empty, and the sound of the other's footsteps was now impossible to make out.

Kai wanted to keep running, and he wanted to drag his sister right along with him. _She_ was his priority. But. . . His eyes flitted over to Jay. Although they'd never exactly agreed on much, the guy was still his friend. And Cole. . . well, regardless of how poorly the rescue had gone, Cole had still attempted it.

"Okay. Okay fine. But we need to hurry."

Nya gave her brother a nod. She pulled up Jay's body without too much effort, leaning him against her back. Kai struggled a bit with Cole, fighting to find a position that would allow them to move fast. Once they were both settled, they marched down the hall.

They both noticed the cameras turning in their direction as they moved. Kai shook his head, urging Nya to ignore this and keep moving. The lights behind them began to flicker and die, one by one.

Then the footsteps returned.

"We're almost there." Kai huffed, steps slow as he tried to keep Cole's body from slipping away. "Almost-"

 _Ding!_

With a foreboding chime, the elevator doors slid open.

A large shadow loomed within, held up by six metal legs, curved to imitate those of spider. Nya and Kai attempted to take a step back, but only succeeded in losing their balance. They fell back against the ground as the shape moved forward.

"Borg?" Kai's voice was soft.

Borg didn't respond. Instead, his eyes flickered up, to something behind them. Before Kai could turn, a sudden darkness enveloped him.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

" _Wait!_ "

Garmadon stopped. He turned back, frowning against the desert's sunlight.

Harumi moved toward him, running. Not a very smart thing to do, with the constant heat beating down upon them. When she reached him, her breathing was quick, and sweat ran down her skin.

"You shouldn't have run. You need to keep a steady pace, if you want to make it through." Garmadon instructed. "But. . . you don't have to come along. I'm sure someone will come pick you up eventually. You can wait with Wu."

"No." Harumi said. "I can help, you know."

"That's a bad idea, kid. We don't have much water. We don't have _any_ food. This is going to be difficult."

"Oh, that's fine." Harumi stood straighter. There was a powerful look in her eyes. Somehow, they reminded Garmadon of his own.

"I won't stop you then."

He turned away from her, continuing the steady trek through the desert sand. Part of him regretted heading out so hastily. Moving in plain daylight was only asking for trouble, but Garmadon couldn't stand the thought of Lloyd being in any sort of danger.

He had spent ten years without him. Every day lengthened with stress and worry as he wondered about his only child's well-being. Now that he was free to actually _protect_ him, Garmadon was not going to waste any time.

Besides, he could hardly stand being with his brother any longer than he had to.

"I knew you were innocent, you know."

Garmadon didn't turn to face the girl. Conversation was not very welcome. They needed to save as much energy as they could get. "Oh?"

"What they did to you was unforgivable. You were treated as a scapegoat. Someone the public could despise, because the real enemy didn't want to be seen." Harumi spoke softly, although there was undeniable energy in her words. "ECHO. I was going to rip it apart, you know."

"What?" This time, Garmadon did stop. He turned, looking down at Harumi with a quizzical look in his eyes.

"I can get us help," Harumi said, instead of responding to Garmadon's confusion. "My people will find us. Take us to the city. All you need to do is say the word. But if you want to walk through the desert, I will do that too."

"Your people?" Garmadon frowned, then ushered away his confusion and curiosity, willing himself to focus on the matter at hand. "What sort of help?"

Harumi only smiled. She lifted her wrist, where a small communication band hung. Then she spoke.

"This is The Quiet One. Requesting pick-up. Don't make me wait."

* * *

Everything had gone according to plan.

The Overlord was not surprised. He rarely failed. Of course things had gone as expected. People were extremely easy to manipulate. They labeled their flaws as strengths, leaving themselves blind.

Still, The Overlord was not pleased. He was, after all, still locked within a child's body. It limited his strength, and it made him vulnerable. Having his essence tied to a living vessel brought a lot of worries. The sooner he regained his true form, the better.

"When will it be ready?" He spoke using both Lloyd's voice and his own.

Borg turned away from his work. The Overlord was especially proud of what he had done to the man. Weakened as he was, he could only twist the actions of technology. By coaxing the man into using the helmet, The Overlord had gained control over his mind.

"A week," Borg said, and The Overlord growled in exasperation. Coming from the mouth of a ten-year-old, the sound was not very intimidating.

"A _week_?" He hissed. He raised a small arm, then clenched his fingers, sending a spasm of pain through Borg's mind. "I will not be made to wait that long."

"Perhaps with some help. . ." Borg shook his head. "If some of my engineers could aid me in this, I would be able to finish in. . . three days."

"That is still far too long." The Overlord flexed Lloyd's small fingers. He wished he could simply take over Borg's mind completely once more. Make his body forget hunger, forget sleep. Speed up the process.

But Borg could not be a puppet. Unfortunate as it was, he needed the man's knowledge.

Three days would have to do.

Although workers could be terrorized into working for him, The Overlord was untrusting of this method. People controlled by fear only planned for the demise of those who used them. People he could _control_ , however, were a different story.

"Call those you believe will be useful. And make the necessary modifications to them." The Overlord tapped his head. A signal, for Borg. More people should be molded along with technological parts.

"Yes." Borg nodded. He then pressed a button, and listed off a series of names The Overlord did not care to listen to. They would not matter.

He marched out of the lab, moving through the hall at a frustratingly slow pace. The child's legs were far too small.

 _My dad will get you, you know_. Lloyd's voice was not soft. It was loud and powerful inside the overlord's mind. Stubbornly clinging on to a life that was his no longer. _Bad guys don't win_.

"You can choose to believe what you will. But as it stands, no one will be enough to stop me." The Overlord responded. He could feel Lloyd's frustration within, still unbelieving at how quickly their roles had reversed. Except, Lloyd would never be strong enough to push the Overlord's control away. "Once I recover the abilities that are _rightfully mine_ , I will reclaim my old form."

 _And. . . what'll happen to me, then?_

"I do not know. I suppose you will find out. I imagine your weak body won't be able to survive without my influence."

Lloyd wished he could scream. Cry. Anything.

 _Three days is a long time. Anything could happen_.

"Foolish of you to hold on to hope. Your friends have been defeated. They can do nothing." The Overlord had been initially concerned with Cole's ghostly form. It would be impossible to contain him, in that state. Fortunately, it hadn't taken much to convince him to give up his supernatural advantage.

Three days was indeed a long time. But The Overlord knew perfectly well he had all the strings of possibility wrapped niftily around his fingers.

* * *

When Cole came to, he finally remembered all the _bad_ aspects of being alive.

His head was pounding. Literally _pounding_. It made the world around him darken with each pulse, sending steady flashes of pain that made him nauseous. Cole groaned as he sat up, trying to take in his surroundings.

He was in a room. A cell, to be more specific.

It reminded him a lot of the one him and Jay had rescued Garmadon from.

Jay.

He was in the room too. All of them were. All except for Zane. Their bodies were strewn about, as if whoever had tossed them in could have cared less about their comfort. Which was probably true.

In the corner of the room, half squished beneath her brother's body, Nya began to stir. She sat up with a gasp, flinging Kai's body from her lap. Her eyes connected with Cole. They both stared at one another.

Nya shook her head. "What. . . what happened?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing," Cole responded, flinching at the sound of his voice. _Why was it so loud?_ "I just remember. . . Lloyd."

"Yeah. We tried to run." Nya frowned. "The. . . thing. It got Zane. Then . . . Borg got us."

"Overlord," Cole said. "It calls itself The Overlord."

"Sort of pretentious sounding." Jay groaned softly, sitting up and rubbing the back of his head. He could feel dried blood on his scalp. Flinching his hand away, he looked from Cole to Nya, assessing their well being.

Nya looked to be unharmed. From Cole's hat, a trickle of dried blood ran down. His eyes looked more disoriented than focused. Jay imagined he looked similar. "My head feels like it's going to explode. And I'm seconds away from giving up my breakfast."

"Same." Cole nodded, and instantly regreted the movement. "Ugh."

"Please don't." Nya said. "I'd prefer _not_ to be locked in a room with throw up, if we can help it.

"Still, The. . . Overlord hit both of your heads pretty hard. I hope nothing is. . . messed up."

Cole pulled off the hat, hoping it would at least ease some of the pressure. When he did so, both Jay and Nya flinched, Jay going so far as to giving a soft squeal. " _Dude_. Your head. It's . . . cracked."

For a moment, panic swelled Cole's mind. Then he realized what Jay was referring to. He chuckled. "Oh. That. Yeah. It came along with the whole, coming back to life thing."

"It's disgusting." Jay crawled closer, coming to inspect Cole's scar while fighting the dizzying sensation of putting himself in motion. "Can I touch it?"

"No." Cole swatted Jay's hand away. Jay looked disappointed.

Kai stirred, and everyone's attention was turned toward him. As he slowly sat up, he made contact with everyone's eyes. "What happened?"

"That's an incredible question." Nya said. "Lloyd went crazy. Borg's been bad all along? We're trapped in ECHO. No idea what comes next. And that's about it."

"Not Lloyd." Cole shook his head. "The Overlord."

"Yeah. That."

"The Overlord?" Kai's eyes were even more confused than before. When Cole only nodded in response, he frowned, trying to stitch together the memories in his head.

One by one, they fell into place. The terrifying darkness being emitted from Lloyd's body. _Slam!_ Jay's body flung to the side, while Cole's was flung to the other. Zane slowing down, mind twisting to work against them.

Freedom, so close. Snatched away at the last second. By Borg. Kai could still see the glowing red eye, menacingly staring him down. He shivered. "Maybe Borg's the one that's been behind the virus all along. He framed Garmadon and-"

"No."

Jay spoke with his eyes lowered. Attention shifted once more. Now Jay was in the spot light. He toyed with the bracelet, fingers sliding over the smooth surface of it. "I have a theory. It. . . might sound crazy. But I don't see how things could work, otherwise."

"Okay." Cole nodded at Jay, encouraging him to speak. "What do you think?"

"I think that this. . . this Overlord. . . I think he- it, whatever, is the virus." Jay's mind was working fast. It was difficult to put his spinning thoughts into words. "That's why Lloyd can do so much.

"But this thing is so much more than we believe. I think ECHO was originally built to contain it. I mean look- look at history. Things were awful in Ninjago, before ECHO showed up. So what does that tell you?"

"That ECHO is. . . good?" Cole asked.

Jay frowned, looking over at the blank faces of his teammates. Things felt so clear, but he didn't know how to explain it at all. Even without the lightning in play, his mind still felt like a puzzle.

"It's good. Sort of. It did make things better. But. . . not for long.

"The Overlord got stronger. It becomes the virus. To try and find a way out. Garmadon catches onto this. Blows the place up. Which sort of works, but not for long."

"I think I. . . sort of see what you mean." Nya said. "It would explain why the virus resurfaced before we got Garmadon out of Kryptarium. We can probably assume it began when Lloyd arrived in the city.

"But if ECHO was built to trap this Overlord thing, how did it manage to get out? How did it wind up inside Lloyd? And what does it want with _us_?"

"On how. . . I've got no idea. But I think I can take a guess on what he wants."

"Well I don't get it." Kai pouted. "How can a computer virus be _inside_ someone?"

"That's- it's- the virus _isn't_ just a virus, it's-"

Cole pressed the palm of his hand against Jay's mouth, stopping the broken explanation. "Of course you don't get it. Jay's on another level right now."

Kai frowned.

"So what _does_ he want with us, then?" Nya shook her head, eager to move the conversation along.

Jay pushed Cole's hand away. "Well, we were probably one of The Overlord's attempts to free itself from ECHO. The powers we have. . . they aren't ours. They're his. And now, well, now he wants them back."

* * *

Pixal did not like how things were going.

Everything had tumbled in a direction she could never have imagined. And she did not know what to do about it all.

There was, of course, the right thing. To keep her head lowered, and continue to carry out Borg's orders, however twisted and bizarre they might seem to her. Never mind that Borg's orders now seemed to come from the mouth of a child. Never mind that they involved melding cyber body parts into unwilling subjects.

On the other hand, she could go against everything she had ever known. It was wrong. So wrong, in fact, that the mere thought of it made her circuits spark. _Not my orders. Not my orders._

Pixal moved stiffly. She was supposed to be in the lab. There was always more work to be done. But she had to see Nya. Her shaking hands carried a tray of food. _Turn back._

Nya had been kind to her in a way Pixal had never expected. She had always been willing to explain all that Pixal couldn't understand. She had smiled and she had joked, as if Pixal was not android, but a _friend_.

 _Turn back._

Pixal fought against herself. Yes, she would turn back. But not now. Not yet.

She arrived.

Opening the door was out of the question. She didn't think she could go that far. Instead, Pixal slid open a small window at the center of the door. "Nya. It's me. I brought a bit of food."

Pixal heard shuffling. She pushed the tray through the small opening as soon as she spotted a pair of familiar hands. Nya took the food eagerly, then passed it off to someone Pixal couldn't see.

Then, Nya kneeled, so her face was visible. "Pixal. What's going on? Do you know?"

"They're. . ." Pixal shifted. "They will not share much with me. Borg and the small child. But they are building something in the lab. I can not discern what they are form. They seem like giant capsules. One for each of you."

"Ominous." Nya tried to smile. Pixal could tell she was scared. "You wouldn't. . . can you help us?"

Pixal shook her head. But she didn't step away. How could she?

"There is too much security. The. . . the child. He can tamper with technology. He has done it with Zane. If he suspects anything, he will do it to me as well. Then I will be of no use." After sharing this, Pixal should have left. But yet, she didn't. "If you can find a way out . . . I will remove the bracelets for you. But it will have to be soon. Tomorrow night. I will wait for you in the elevator.

That is all I can do."

Nya nodded, understanding. "We'll be there. Thank you, Pixal. And stay safe."

"Yes." Pixal nodded, wondering how Nya could possibly be worried about _Pixal's_ well-being, instead of her own.

As she moved away from her detour, Pixal's pace returned to normal. But the pain inside her head did not leave her. She had decided to take the wrong path. Whether the others found a way out or not, Pixal had made her choice.

 _Traitor._

They followed her through every one of her actions.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

They had to come up with a plan.

Remaining in ECHO was out of the question. The last thing the Overlord needed was more power. But how?

The first suggestion had been obvious. Cole. His wrist was free of the pesky bracelet that kept their abilities at bay. Super strength came in pretty handy when it came to busting down doors.

Unfortunately, that plan had quickly gone out the window. Cole's body was weak. His strength still surpassed everyone else's, but it was nothing out of the ordinary. The more he struggled, the more the ragged green scar in his forehead began to throb.

"Don't push yourself too hard." Jay shook his head. "It's okay. We'll figure out something else. We have time."

"Right." Cole nodded, trying to seem nonchalant.

In truth, however, he was very _very_ grateful at being useless. The whole being alive thing was truly beginning to become overwhelming. Cole had gladly forgotten about all the uncomfortable quirks of the human body, and was reluctantly re-learning them all over again.

As the others bounced ideas around, Cole listened. Or pretended to listen. He leaned back against the wall, eyes half shut, the more tired part of his brain wishing he could be a ghost again. If only for a little bit. That's all he needed, to bring himself back on track.

A second without his head pounding, without his tightened muscles, without the jittering heart that didn't seem to know what it was doing at all.

"I wish she'd just _told_ us how to take the bracelets off." Jay groaned. "I could probably fry the lock on the door."

"Maybe it's hard to explain," Nya suggested. "And it would have been really obvious that she was up to something, if she stood by our door for too long."

Cole would have liked to ask how Pixal had wound up so willing to help them. But talking was sound. And sound was something his growing nausea did not want to deal with. Cole shut his eyes, trying to force everything into the background.

Suddenly, and quite unexpectedly, Cole fell through the wall.

As he felt his body shift, his eyes snapped open, and he managed to hold himself up inches before hitting the ground. Cole stood frozen for a moment, staring at the wall before him, and at his now ghostly torso.

With a yelp, he straightened. "No, no, wait I wasn't-"

Cole pressed his hands against his sides. Solid. Again. The pain was still there. And everyone was staring at him with wide, frightened eyes. "Did- Did you guys _see_ that?"

"You. . ." Kai shook his head, gaped, and shook his head once more. "You went through the wall."

" _How_?" Cole himself asked, in unison with a very startled Jay.

Cole shook his head, still frantically moving his hands throughout his body, making sure he truly was still there. "I was just. . . trying to focus on making my head _not_ feel like it's about to burst and-"

"Do you. . . think you could do it again?" Nya asked, after exchanging a quick, hopeful glance with Jay. "Like. . . on purpose?"

Cole wanted to say _No, thanks I'll pass_ , but he recognized the workings of an idea in the eyes of his teammates. Instead, he gave a shrug. "I could try."

He scooted forward, not wanting to slip through the wall again. He wasn't all too eager to know what would happen, if he wound up stuck in between solid matter. Cole shut his eyes, trying to recreate the moment.

 _Ghost, ghost, ghost_ He chanted to himself, while trying to ignore all the sensations that being alive brought. _Ghost, ghost, be a ghost._

Jay gave a subtle gasp. Cole opened his eyes.

The greenish hue that his body carried while he was a ghost was back upon him, slowly growing to cover him fully. He watched for a second, trembling at the lost of all feeling. As his legs slowly began to become see-through, Cole panicked, shaking his head and shattering the process.

In less than a second, his body had returned to normal.

"Yup. Can definitely do on purpose." Cole's heart was beating faster than before.

"That's _amazing_." Nya's eyes were wide. She leaned forward, and Cole leaned back. He had no interest in being poked and probed to satisfy Nya's curiosity.

"It's impossible, is what it is. It was spreading from _here_ -" While Cole was focused on keeping Nya away, Jay had moved toward him. In a rather invasive movement, Jay gave Cole's glowing scare a not-so-gentle poke. "It's like you're barely held together."

"I told you not to touch it!" Cole flinched. "And thanks, that's very reassuring to hear."

"So. . . Could he ghost out and find a way to open the door?" Kai asked.

Nya nodded. "That's exactly what I was thinking."

"He wouldn't even need to find a key. He could just posses the lock, and _click!_ " Jay pointed out. "I mean, we should wait till tonight either way, but! That's our way out!"

"Um. Yeah, no. I am _not_ possessing anything. What if I can't get my body back? I doubt Lloyd- The Overlord, whatever we're calling him, will be too willing to make me another one." Cole crossed his arms. "It's a definite no."

Jay willed himself to shove away the excitement of his friend's abilities. "Cole, you're all we have. There's nothing else we can use to get out of here."

Cole's eyes shifted away, arms tightening around his chest.

"Fine. _Fine_. I'll try to find a key. But if I lose my body I'm possessing yours for the rest of your life." Cole muttered reluctantly. " _And_ you three owe me big time. And I mean _big time_."

"Deal!"

* * *

Garmadon had no idea what to think.

He was at the edge of the city, within a building that seemed abandoned. But within its cracked walls, everything was bursting with life. Monitors displaying every corner of Ninjago City. Radios played everything there was to hear within ECHO's walls. And people. So _many_ people.

Garmadon was rarely intimidated by anything, but the buzzing world before him made him feel more sheepish than usual. He stood by Harumi, waiting for her to shed some light in the situation.

The girl, however, was busy. Had been busy since a strange convoy had picked them up from the middle of the desert. Garmadon had made sense of some of the words shouted here and there, but not enough.

From what he'd gathered, ECHO was now in someone else's control. And that particular someone had quickly cracked down on Ninjago City, changing things at a rapid pace. With ECHO's absolute control of every android and technological device, it hadn't taken much for life to change.

There was something about people being taken into ECHO, forcefully. Something about a spider-like robot. And once, Garmadon had sword he'd heard Lloyd's name thrown into the mix.

After what had seemed like endless hours, Garmadon found himself alone with Harumi at last. They stood at the topmost floor of the broken down building, which allowed them a perfect view of all the people working below. The girl, clearly in her element, pulsed with a different sort of energy than before. Energy that would have seemed intimidating, to anyone other than Garmadon himself.

"What _exactly_ is going on?" Garmadon demanded. Harumi flinched at the harsh tone, and Garmadon forced himself to relax. "I'm thankful your. . . friends helped us out of the desert. But what about Lloyd? And what _is_ this place?"

"This-" Harumi turned away from him, expanding her arms to gesture at everything. When she turned back to Garmadon, her eyes glowed with pride, like a child showing off an especially good drawing. "- _we_ , are the Sons of Garmadon."

"Er-" Garmadon shifted, uncomfortable at last.

"I _knew_ you were innocent. I've always known. Our plan was to take ECHO down. To rip you out of Kyrptarium. But. . .well, you found your own way out. Still, we have a perfect grip on ECHO's system. I'm sure it will be very useful to you."

"Take ECHO down. . .? You-" Garmadon shook his head. That didn't matter. Not at the moment. He could worry about the bizarre implication of this fanatical group later, once his arms were back around his son. "What's being going on at ECHO?"

"Well, how about I show you?"

"Show me?"

Harumi gave him a smile, before urging him to follow. Garmadon did.

She led him into another monitor-filled room. After a few clicks of the keyboard before her, one of the screens flickered to life. Within, was a hall Garmadon recognized as part of ECHO. In the hall itself, stood the kids who'd rescued him, along with Lloyd's small figure.

The camera shivered momentarily, the video corrupted after whatever in had recorded. Once it settled, Garmadon's fists tightened. Unsettling dark shapes grew from within Lloyd's small body. The child's eyes glowed a bright, familiar purple.

His mind flashed to a memory.

 _Standing alone in his father's lab. Fueled with anger. Garmadon wanted to destroy everything his father had ever sought to build._

 _"Of course Wu gets the company." He growled at no one. "He's the perfect son. Never mind that I'm the oldest._

 _"This place is useless, in any case. In a few years, ECHO will be nothing. I'll make sure of it. I'll show them. Yeah. Yeah. . . Take this place down myself. Make it better."_

 _A voice. Garmadon didn't know where it came from. But it jolted him out of his rage._

Take this place down? Maybe I can help you. If you help me. _The voice was soft. Weak. And very unsettling._

 _"That you, Wu? You're not funny, you know." Garmadon hissed. "When I find you-"_

No, not Wu. _The voice responded._ Something far greater.

With a shudder, Garmadon willed himself to focus on the present. On the unfolding consequences of a sole, thoughtless action from a far away night.

* * *

Wu was hungry. Thirsty. And there was no point in going on about his exhaustion.

There was still absolutely no word from ECHO. He couldn't understand. The system had backups. Plans. ECHO was ready for any and all scenarios. Wu had made sure of it. Not only that, but Borg was there. So what, exactly, was going on?

Everything seemed to be falling apart.

ECHO was _not_ supposed to fall apart.

It was the one thing his father had ever asked of him. To keep the company flourishing. So that Ninjago might stay safe. Wu had never quite understood the correlation, but he was willing to do anything his father asked of him.

But Wu had made so many mistakes. He recalled the story he had shared with Kai and Nya. Had things really been as good as he'd said? If Wu were honest with himself, he could not exactly remember. The experiments seemed like a story someone had told him once upon a time, not something he had lived through himself.

He had never had time to question this fact before. But now, well, he had nothing if not time.

An abrasive sound interrupted his thoughts. Wu jolted out of the helicopter, shading his eyes against the bright searchlight shining down upon him. Wu gave a small wave. Help, at last.

The light lowered itself upon the sand. When it snapped off, Wu's eyes took a few seconds to adjust. When they did, Wu frowned. It was not one of ECHO's helicopters, as he had expected. And Borg did not await him within.

It was R.E.X., and inside, Ronin.

Ronin emerged, landing on the sand with almost no sound. He approached Wu with a frown of confusion and slight concern, throwing the old man a bottle of cold water. Wu caught it easily, gulping the liquid down in seconds.

Once he had finished, Ronin spoke. "What are you doing all the way out here, Wu?"

"Looking for you, as a matter of fact," Wu said. "Borg had told me you'd found Lloyd. And that you would be waiting for me, here."

"I'm sure you've figured out that was a lie by now, right?" Ronin said. He placed both his hands on his hips, letting out a dramatic breath. "I figured something wasn't right. I tried to contact you earlier, to let you know the kid was most likely on his way to the city. I got nothing. So I decided to go and. . ."

"And?"

"Well, impossible as it sounds, the city seemed to change nearly overnight. All androids have gone haywire, trying to force people to follow a set of impossible rules." Ronin shook his head. "Don't know what you're planning to do now, but I wouldn't recommend-"

"Take me to ECHO."

"- _that._ " Ronin shook his head. "I knew you'd say that, Wu, but truly, it's not a good idea. Not on your own at least."

Wu shook his head. "I appreciate the concern, Ronin. But I need to get things back in order. If the virus is truly resurfacing again, Borg will be needing me."

Ronin thought about arguing. He quickly realized the old man was beyond listening, however, and opted for giving him a shrug. "I'll get you there. But don't expect me to do much more than drop you off."

"That's all I'll need."

* * *

Cole hated the plan.

What he hated the most, was how much sense it made. It was logical and well-structured, which made it very difficult to argue against. He tried anyway, all the while knowing he would still go through with it.

Slip out of the cell. Find a key. Steal it. Return.

Four very simple steps.

Cole growled. His body shuddered, then returned back to its solid form. "How long was that?"

"Ten minutes," Jay said.

"Fifteen minutes," Nya said, at the same time.

Kai frowned. "I lost count."

"That's the longest I can go." Cole crossed his arms. "It's giving me a headache."

"Ten, then. That should be enough." Jay nodded.

" _Fifteen_." Nya disagreed. "But yeah. I'm sure you can do it in that amount of time."

"How did you even get fifteen? How fast were you counting?" Jay shook his head.

"How slow were _you_ counting?"

Kai and Cole exchanged glances, rolling their eyes at the unnecessary bickering. Not that they could judge. They were _all_ irritated. Being stuck together in such a closed space with nothing but danger in every direction had put them on edge.

At least, if their plan went smoothly, they'd be out by tonight.

 _If_.

Cole stood, wishing he had enough strength to simply barrel through the wall. "Let's just get this over with."

Kai gave him a brief salute, while Nya stopped arguing long enough to give him what he guessed was a reassuring smile. Jay stood too, giving Cole a hug that was too tight. In response, Cole ghosted out of his grasp, causing Jay to stumble forward. "Rude."

"I'll be right back. If you act like it's a big deal I'm going to chicken out."

"Just. . ." Jay shifted his hands. "Yeah, okay."

With a quick wave Cole hoped seemed nonchalant, he stepped through the wall, and into the hall. "Definitely do _not_ miss how that feels."

He wandered through the halls, attempting to keep up a personal countdown of how much time he had left. It did not go very well. He was sure he'd counted the same number at least four times now.

Whatever, then. Cole just had to hurry. Find someone. Anyone?

Cole stopped in his tracks. No. Not just _anyone_. The Overlord wouldn't give a keycard to open their cell to any random person. Cole cursed, standing in the middle of the hall, no clear route in mind.

"Should head back. Think of something else."

"Like _what_? There's you possessing the lock. You want to do that?" Cole argued back at himself.

"No."

"So then?"

With a huff, Cole trotted to the stairs. There was one person he knew would have the key without question. Borg. Or, well, The Overlord himself. How long would it take him to find them? How much time did he have?

Questions he had no answer to. Better not to think about them, then.

At each floor, Cole stopped and peeked through. Most halls were empty. He spotted a couple of people once, moving quickly, their heads down and their bodies shrinking into themselves. Fighting to be invisible.

Cole tried to make a timeline in his head. According to the windows he'd passed, it was early morning. It had been more or less 24 hours since The Overlord had rooted itself in ECHO. Already, he could feel the rapid change in atmosphere.

His head began to throb. _Don't think about it._

At long last, Cole reached the final floor. Borg _had_ to be here. If he was in the building at all. Cole exited the stairs, trying not to focus too much on the fleeting aches in different parts of his body. He was a ghost. And he had to stay a ghost. And ghosts did not _feel_. Nope.

A voice. That was good. It was seemingly having a heated argument with itself. Which was less good. But Cole couldn't say anything. He had been doing the same thing mere moments ago. As he walked through the hall, another person passed him by. Cole found himself rooted to the spot as they moved through him. His eyes followed them until they were out of sight.

Cyborg. That's the only word Cole had for what he was seeing. A mesh between a human and a robot. Except cyborg didn't quite fit. The person, the thing that had once _been_ a person, held a sinister aura that couldn't just be described by the word _cyborg_.

Cole shuddered. The now persistent ache in his head willed him to focus. He looked down at his hands. Still a ghost. But for how long?

He wouldn't make it back to the cell. Not without resting.

"So we hide. Somewhere. Great. Excellent." Cole hissed at himself, as he finally reached the voice that had initially captured his attention.

"I need to stop this. Need to stop him." It was Borg. He was working frantically on something. No. Cole flinched. Working on some _one_. "But I can't, can I? No. No of course not. What can _I_ do?"

Cole turned away from Borg. He didn't want to witness his nimble hands, roughly attaching a metal helmet upon someone's head. All he wanted was a key card.

"I'm just me. He can do anything to me. How did things get to this? How did I not _see_ -"

Borg's words faded out of focus, replaced by a sharp ringing in Cole's ears. He crumpled behind one of the lab tables. Pain rattled from his knees as they hit the ground. Solid once more. Cole bit back a groan of pain, trying to make himself as small as possible.

But the lab was very well lit. If anyone wondered to this side of the room, he'd be spotted in a second. And then-

Cole had no time to think of the consequences. A young and distorted voice poured into his jumbled thoughts.

"There you are, Borg." The Overlord said. "We have a very special guest. Let's greet him together."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Kai observed Jay's fidgeting. It was steadily growing more and more out of control.

It was a familiar sight. And one that would usually mean it was time to step far, far away. With the bracelet on, however, Jay was no longer a ticking time bomb. He was only a jumble of anxiety.

"It hasn't been _that_ long." Kai said, trying to be helpful. Nya gave him a glance. "Besides, I'm sure Cole's smart. He can take care of himself."

"Yeah." Jay agreed, although he did not sound convinced at all. "He can take care of himself."

"He'll be back." Nya added, giving Jay's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Then we'll all get out of here."

Jay shook his head. Slowly at first, then more and more vigorously. He looked up, eyes looking from Kai to Nya. "How do we know that? We don't! We don't know anything! We're trapped in the middle of something very, very bad. Cole's gone! Again. Third time. Yeah, maybe he's okay. Maybe I'm overreacting. But it doesn't feel like it's okay! At _all_. It feels like everything we do is pointless, because we always end up worse than before!"

After shouting the last word, Jay deflated with a sigh

"Better?" Kai probed.

"Not really." Jay looked up. "Felt good to yell though."

He smiled. Kai smiled back, giving his friend a nod. "Oh, I bet."

They allowed the silence to grow around them. But doing nothing more than waiting only increased the nerves. Nya decided to speak again. "We should probably think about what we'll do after we get out of here."

"What do you mean?" Jay scowled. "We go into hiding. Forever. Until this end-of-the-world scenario burns itself out. This isn't _our_ problem, it never was. And if anything, we'd be doing Ninjago a favor by staying out of the way. If that _thing_ inside Lloyd gets our powers who knows what it'll do?"

"Are you serious?" Nya frowned.

"Of course I'm serious, why wouldn't I be?"

"We're the only ones that even stand a sliver of a chance against that thing. We need to do _something_."

"No, we need to stay out of its way so things don't become worse." Jay shook his head. "You're not guilting me into doing something I don't want to do again."

Nya threw her arms up in the air, giving up on the argument. So much for soothing the nerves in the room.

"I don't think you'd do it."

Nya and Jay both turned toward Kai.

"Stay in hiding, I mean." He continued. "Regardless of what you say, Jay, you care about people. I don't think you'd stay back if you knew you could make a difference."

"Well then you obviously don't-"

Kai raised his hand, cutting Jay off before he could finish. "Plus, don't you want to help the kid? Ninjago aside, you know Lloyd deserves this even less than we do."

Jay pouted.

Kai smirked.

"What can we even do, anyway?" Jay said, through gritted teeth, refusing to be willingly helpful. "How do we take down. . . something like _that_?"

"About that. . ." Nya willed herself to relax. "We said we had no idea _how_ The Overlord wound up inside Lloyd, right?"

The others nodded.

"Well. . . I think I know who might know. This was all ten years ago. So. . . Lloyd had most likely not been born. And if he was, he was very, very young. Which means that, when everything went down, he was most likely with his mom.

"She's bound to have some answers."

Jay and Kai exchanged quick glances, before asking in unison. "Who _is_ his mom?"

* * *

Cole shut his eyes tightly.

He did not want to die. _Again._ He couldn't get caught. He simply couldn't.

He needed to go back to see his dad. Needed to explore the depth of the memories he now had. Needed to do so many, many things. If The Overlord found him. . .

No, no use thinking that. Because it wouldn't happen. No, no, no, no-

Cole opened his eyes. Borg and Lloyd's footsteps were moving not toward him, but _away_. Out of the lab.

He relaxed. So he was _not_ the unexpected visitor. Huh. Who, then?

"Not my problem, that's for sure," Cole whispered to himself. He slowly peeked over the table he'd been hiding behind, making sure the room was empty. And it was. Aside from the limp body with a helmet embedded on their head.

And Borg's keycard.

Cole almost shouted in joy. He kept himself in check, opting for smiling giddily instead. He trotted toward it, praying to anyone who'd listen that there were no cameras inside the lab. He reached for the keycard, more than eager to shoot back to the safety of the cell.

Another hand stopped his. Cole jumped, almost screaming. The person in the helmet held onto him tightly, refusing to let go.

"Help me." The voice was rasped and twisted. "Please."

"I can't." Cole shook his head, eyes flitting toward the hall. "Not. . . yet. I promise I'll. . . I'm sorry."

Cole willed his body to turn back into that of a ghost. It was a slow progress, but Cole managed. It wouldn't last for long though.

He took the keycard, focusing on his fingertips enough to give them grip. He then realized that a floating keycard might cause some alarm. Well. Cole would just have to hurry. No other choice.

With one last guilty glance at the person he'd refused to help, Cole ran forward.

He knew exactly where to go now, so at the very least there would be no time wasted on searching. As Cole moved to the stairs, he stopped, forgetting for a moment how important it was to keep moving.

There was someone at the end of the hall. Someone he had never seen before, not in person. But someone he knew very well.

Wu.

He was speaking with Borg. Lloyd was nowhere to be seen. Which was a problem. They would no doubt catch ECHO's former leader off-guard. Cole was tempted to give a shout of warning. But what would that accomplish, really?

Feeling worse than ever, Cole forced himself to turn away.

* * *

"Borg."

Wu melted with relief at the sight of his friend.

"What's with those. . .legs?" Wu shook his head. Borg's unique inventions were not the most pressing concern. "Do you know what's going on? I think Pixal might have lied to me. She sent me off on a wild goose chase for Ronin. It has to be the virus."

"Oh." Borg's head tilted to the side, as if it had suddenly become too heavy for his neck. Wu found the action unsettling. "Guess I will have to disassemble her. Unfortunate."

"I'm sure nothing as drastic as _that_ is necessary," Wu said. "Did Lloyd show up? Ronin seems to think he was heading this way."

"Lloyd?" Borg moved forward. The metal spider legs beneath him clanking against the polished floor. "Yes. Maybe you should turn around."

"What?"

Before Wu could turn, he felt a sudden grip around his middle. It was rough and suffocating. He was lifted off his feet. With a struggle, Wu managed to face the new threat.

"Lloyd!" Wu frowned, confused and unbelieving. "What are you doing?"

His nephew ignored him. Wu felt something probing his thoughts, digging through his memories in rough, invasive movements. When Lloyd finally spoke, his voice was filled with something more, giving his young voice a disturbing edge.

"Very knowledgeable. And very trusted. He'll be useful." Lloyd addressed Borg, completely ignoring Wu's existence. Wu turned to his old friend. Borg now looked completely different. Instead of having the appearance of a hanging puppet, the look of his eyes was now one of fright and concern. "You know what to do, Borg."

Borg looked like he might protest. Wu decided to take advantage of this. "Borg, you need to tell me what's going on. What is Lloyd-"

Wu's voice was silenced as the grip around him tightened further. "Quiet, old man."

"Borg. . ." Wu coughed, trying to think, trying to find a way out, trying to-

Darkness crawled forth from the edges of his eyes, and Wu lost the weak grip he had on consciousness.

* * *

 _Who_ is _his mom?_

Garmadon pushed himself away from the monitor before him. The final question of the recording weighed down on him, making exhausting loops around his head. He kept the waging emotions from his face as he turned to Harumi.

He still did not know if she was to be trusted. But she was useful. "So they're planning on escaping tonight. What then?"

"We take them in. Let them rest. Give whatever they may need. Then we use them, to destroy ECHO." Harumi explained.

"Are we sure destroying ECHO will free Lloyd?"

Harumi shrugged, as if this was not her concern at all. When, in fact, it should have been her only concern. This whole thing revolved around his son. Yet she didn't seem to care. "It'll be a risk. Even if it doesn't work, we can at least contain him, if he does not have the back up of ECHO's technology."

"That's true." Garmadon massaged his temples. Things were getting far too complicated for his taste. And he had no way to think up a clear-cut solution.

 _Who_ is _his mom?_

Lloyd's mother. Misako. Yes. She would know exactly what to do. She always did seem to have answers for everything, didn't she? Garmadon scowled to himself. The very last thing he wanted was to ask for her help. After all, she'd made her choice, hadn't she?

She wanted nothing to do with him. Or with Lloyd. She'd abandoned them both, when they'd needed her the most. So why should he want her? Why should he need her?

 _For Lloyd._ The calm, detached part of himself pointed out.

"Harumi," Garmadon said at last. The girl snapped to attention. "If I needed you to find someone, could you?"

"Of course. Anyone." She gave a curt nod. "Who do you need?"

It took a lot for Garmadon to respond. When he finally did so, his words were no more than a growl. "My wife. Misako."

"Consider it done." Harumi gave a small bow, an unnecessary gesture he was slowly becoming accustomed to. She stepped out of the room, footsteps loud and heavy.

Garmadon's eyes returned to the monitors. He wished he'd understood Harumi's explanation on how to control them, but the girl's words had sailed right over his head. Thus, he was stuck watching the images change at random intervals.

Sometimes the cell with the kids. Sometimes Borg's lab. Sometimes an empty hall.

Sometimes a not so empty hall.

Garmadon scooted his chair closer, as a familiar figure stepped into view. " _Wu?_ "

He wanted to laugh. Even after leaving his dumb brother stranded in the desert, he'd found a way to get himself out.

"What exactly are you trying to do?" Garmadon whispered to his brother. He watched him moved forward, hoping the camera wouldn't switch now that things had gotten interesting.

Ignoring his desire, the screen flickered back to Borg's lab. Garmadon rolled his eyes. Before he could go back to acting disinterested, he caught onto an interesting fact. Borg was gone. And-

"Cole?" Garmadon frowned. Cole moved through the lab with sheepish motions, head moving back and forth. His hands wrapped around something Garmadon couldn't discern. Then, with a blink, the kid disappeared from view. "Huh."

The screen changed again. To a different hall. Where his brother now stood.

Wu wasn't alone. He was chatting with Borg. Garmadon wished he could listen in on the conversation. Wu seemed relaxed, a fact that made Garmadon laugh. His brother was too trusting. Even when things were so very clearly wrong.

There was a small shape in the corner of the screen, hidden from Wu's sight. Garmadon's heart clenched, sending a wave of worry and longing through him. "Lloyd."

He quickly realized what this meant for his brother. " _Lloyd_. Wu, get out of there you useless moron."

Something dark wrapped itself around Wu's body. Garmadon cursed. The screen changed.

"Excellent." Garmadon sighed sarcastically. "Things just keep getting better."

* * *

Pixal was nervous.

She realized this fact with wonder. Nerves. Such a human emotion. She had never thought herself capable of feeling as such. It should have been impossible. Pixal was nothing more than code and wires.

Yet there was no other word for the feeling inside her. The apprehension at all the negative possibilities. The way every little noise threatened to set her off. She was on edge. She was nervous.

At any other time, Pixal would have taken this as a sign that something was not right with her. She would have reconstructed her actions, would have moved away from that which gave her a feeling of foreboding. Or simply gotten her system wiped altogether.

After meeting Nya, however, Pixal was not so sure she wanted to rid herself of the feelings. Maybe this time they were not so pleasant. But Nya had also introduced her to a different feeling.

Hope.

Pixal did not know what she hoped for, exactly. She only knew that it was within her now, instructing her to make extreme choices in the quest to find something. . . more.

The clock within her mind ticked forward. It would all go down soon. Pixal needed to retrieve the final piece of her mission, before heading to the elevator. Zane.

The android did not belong in ECHO. He was different. He was _more_. Pixal did not intend to let the others leave him behind, for the cruel virus to toy with.

He was easy to find. Zane was being used by Borg, who needed all the hands he could get. Pixal caught his attention with a commanding voice.

"Zane. I require your assistance."

The android turned to her. His eyes glowed a deep purple, as opposed to the icy blue they had been before. Pixal kept her features neutral, knowing she was playing a very dangerous game. Zane studied her for a moment.

"I am to assist Borg."

"Yes." Pixal agreed. "But it is about the prisoners. I fear they may be planning something."

Again, the robot was silent. It was a different voice that responded to her fake concerns.

"What, exactly, makes you suspect this?"

Pixal turned, coming face to face with the child now pulling ECHO's strings. She could feel the power pulsing from his small body. Pixal felt invisible hands reach for her mind. She straightened, making herself as empty as possible.

She had been nothing more than someone else's tool for years. She could play the part well.

"I believe someone on the outside may be attempting to help them," Pixal said, quite truthfully. "I found traces of spyware in the system. Whoever it is has control over our security system."

The child frowned.

"I and Zane are more than capable of keeping the others contained, in their current state. I thought it would be good to guard the elevators, while the system is purged."

"Yes." The child nodded, quickly growing disinterested of Pixal. "That would be acceptable."

With a nod, she led Zane onto the hall. They moved to the elevator together.

Pixal was filled with a shuddering sense of accomplishment.

She was still very much aware of what and who she was. At this moment, however, Pixal felt _alive_.

* * *

"Wu? _Wu?_ " Jay ran his hands through his hair, exasperated.

"Yup." Cole twirled the keycard in his fingers.

"What was he thinking, rushing here _alone_?" Kai scowled.

"The same thing you were thinking when _you_ rushed here alone," Nya said. "This is bad."

"Bad? Just bad?" Jay laughed. "That falls a little short, doesn't it? Wu's done for. Borg's evil. No one else knows this place as well as they do. Who's supposed to help us come up with a plan?"

"There's Pixal." Nya pointed out.

"Yeah. Because she was so incredibly willing to help us get out."

"She's still helping." Nya scoffed. "She's trying."

"I'll have to agree with Jay on this one," Kai said. "I don't know how much we can trust her. Regardless of anything, she still works for Borg. And she did lie to Wu."

"But she told us about it!" Nya shouted. "She's doing much more than you two idiots that's for sure."

Kai frowned. Jay prepared to shout back. Cole stood.

Everyone's attention snapped to him.

"We don't need to figure out everything right now. All we need to worry about, is getting out of ECHO. After that, we can think about the next step." Cole spoke calmly. Jay was soothed instantly. Kai and Nya listened begrudgingly. "There's bound to be a way to do this. I mean, look at us. We're a great team.

"We _broke someone out of Kryptarium_. Us. A bunch of ragtag misfits managed to shut down Ninjago's best-secured prison. Sure, we had Lloyd's help back then and we don't now, but it was still all _our_ plan. _Our_ thinking. We'll figure out a way to do whatever we have to do."

"You're right." Nya ceded. "Sorry. I didn't mean what I said I'm just-. . . worried."

"I understand. I'm more terrified than I've ever been in my life." Jay admitted.

Kai studied Cole for a moment more. "So what's our plan for getting out of here?"

"Well." Cole bit his lip, looking from Kai to Nya, and finally to Jay. "Jay and Nya's powers are probably the most useful against technology. One of them should be in front. The other should cover our backs.

"Kai, you can probably use fire once we get to the lobby. People will panic. It'll create enough confusion for us to clear out. Hopefully. Then we just. . . keep going as far as we can."

Kai stood, giving Cole's shoulder a friendly shake. "Aye, aye, captain."

* * *

 **Many apologies, but I won't be able to update next week because FINALS. Thank you guys for reading!**


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Cole took a slow, unnecessary breath. No going back after this. However things turned out, this was the point of no return.

He flickered out of his ghost form and into reality. With a quick, measured swipe of the key, the door was unlocked. Cole pressed his hand against it. Then he pushed.

" Alright team, Let's get out of here." He said with a cheery tone. Nya stepped out first, ready to lead the group through the escape. "I hope Pixal kept her word."

"Of course she did," Nya said.

They reached the elevator in record time, their steps quick and nervous. Looking as confident as she could, Nya called the elevator. The doors slid open almost instantly. They had been ready. Nya smiled.

Pixal was there. But she was not alone.

The instant Zane made eye-contact with the others, his purple-hued eyes tightened into a frown. Cole watched the robot's fingers flicker toward a device on his opposite wrist. Some sort of communication thing, no doubt. He would sound an alarm. And the escape would end before it truly began.

Unless someone did something about it. And the only one who could do anything was, well, him.

With a groan and a vow to _not_ possess anything ever again, Cole hopped into Zane's body.

"Why did you bring Zane?" He hissed, using Zane's own voice. Pixal blinked and frowned. As did the rest of his team. Jay's eyes were the only ones that didn't look startled. Cole shook Zane's head. There was no time. "Forget the question. Okay. We need to get rid of the bracelets."

"Yes. I can assist you with that." Pixal gave a quick nod. She reached for Nya's hand first. Nya complied. Jay leaned forward, watching Pixal's nimble fingers with interest. They found the hidden button, pressed, and liberated Nya's wrist.

"Huh," Jay said.

"Oh, yes." Nya smiled wide. She created a ribbon of water around her hand. It twirled and danced. Nya sighed with very obvious relief. "This is much better."

"Me next!" Kai hopped excitedly, shoving his hand before Pixal.

 _Click!_

With a victorious howl, Kai tossed a ball of flame in the air, toying with it for a few seconds before snuffing it out.

"I think I've got it," Jay said, shrinking away from Pixal's touch. He searched the device. It was difficult to do it with a single hand, but in the end, Jay managed to do it himself. "Hmm. Sweet."

"Let's destroy these things once and for all," Kai said. He tossed the bracelet onto the ground. After staring at it with obvious disdain, Kai crushed the object beneath his heel. He laughed. "There goes that."

Nya copied his example. Jay did not.

"I think I'll. . . keep it. Might come in handy. It's an interesting invention. Would be good to study it. Maybe we can reverse engineer it. Who knows, you know? I don't. " Jay shoved the bracelet into his pocket. When no one complained, he stopped making excuses. They all knew the bracelet was a good counter to his untamed emotions.

"The child will know of this soon, if he does not already." Pixal pressed one of the elevator's buttons. It responded. They moved down smoothly, each of their minds preparing for whatever the escape would take.

"Remember Kai. Set off the alarms first. I don't want us hurting innocent people." Cole reminded them. Pixal eyed him warily still. "Nya, Jay, you know the rest."

"Yup, yup." Jay nodded. Electricity crackled around him. Carefully contained. Love/hate relationship aside, Jay had to admit it felt so undeniably _good_ to have his powers breathe again.

The elevator doors slid open.

The floor wasn't quite as lively as it had been before, Cole noted. But it was still full enough. Kai gave Cole a quick glance before stepping forward. He snapped strings of fire into the air.

Smoke and heat. The fire detectors throughout the ground floor snapped into attention. A shrill and obnoxious beeping sound brought the floor into chaos.

With an ominous click, sprinklers down the hall sparked to life.

The fire died. Kai shivered. And everyone within the building began to run.

"Oh." Cole frowned at the water. "They must have added those in while I was dead."

"The fire prevention system has been in place since ECHO was rebuilt in-"

" _Slight_ change of plans then?" Cole said, louder than necessary, aiming to silence Pixal's very unnecessary history lesson.

"For one, I'm useless." Kai pouted.

"As am I, actually," Jay said, stifling the lightning before stepping out into the hall. "Don't think it'd be too safe to use my lightning in this."

"No sweat." Nya smiled brightly. "I think I can cover us all."

She stepped into the hall after Jay. Cole and Pixal hesitated. Neither were too fond of water. "I'll cover you. Trust me."

"And if you get distracted?" Cole said, still sheepish. "I don't know how Zane's body will react to getting wet. And I don't want to know if water is still very much against my existence."

"Well, we _could_ wait here, see what this Overlord has in store for us," Nya said with heavy sarcasm. "I'm sure it'll be a thousand times better than running a couple of feet to the exit."

Cole seethed. Then nodded. "Fine, fine."

Pixal followed, without further comment.

They ran together. Nya kept a protective dry bubble around Cole and Pixal. It seemed like no one would stop them. All androids had been rendered useless, limbs twitching, shuddering with sparks that briefly electrified the water around them. Pixal watched them with unease.

The main entrance had been emptied now. And the doors were _right there_. They could each see through them. To freedom. To streets and dark alleys that would offer protection.

The water stopped pouring from the ceiling.

"Just keep running," Cole advised.

They did. Jay shot past them, quite literally slamming against the glass doors. He bounced back, falling against the ground. "They're locked!"

"Of course they're locked." Lloyd's voice came from behind them. They turned, watching his small figure step out of the elevator. "I can't very well let you leave, now can I?"

Kai gave an audible growl, helping Jay back to his feet. "We weren't asking for permission."

Pixal felt on the edge of panic. She knew she was only a liability, if Lloyd's power was to reach her. She did not want to hurt her friends. But there was no other way out. They were trapped.

Nya watched Pixal's discomfort. She stepped up, shielding her friend with her body. "You might have taken us down before. But _that_ wasn't a fair fight."

"Definitely not," Jay said. " _This_ will be though."

With a commanding twitch of his fingers, a bolt of lightning shot toward Lloyd's body. It shot his small body back, the water beneath him making the impact worse. Lloyd crumpled onto the damp ground with a pained gasp. Jay flinched.

"Jay!" Kai hissed. "It's still Lloyd. We can't _hurt_ him."

"Well, we can't let him get us either!" Nya protested, in Jay's behalf. Jay eyed Lloyd's body guiltily.

"We just need to get out of here." Cole shook his head. Lloyd was already back on his feet. The kid ran toward them, followed by a void of darkness. Jay and Nya both stared uselessly, neither knowing how to attack. "Pixal. Anything we can do?"

"Not from here. The doors are controlled remotely from the security room. On the top floor."

Could he posses the door and force it to unlock? Cole shifted. He didn't exactly want to try. There was no way to know what Zane would do. And taking over and an inanimate object wasn't on his to-do list. In fact, it happened to be in his, never-do-again list.

Kai watched Lloyd move closer.

He couldn't read Pixal's expression. But she didn't seem to be doing much. Jay and Nya stood frozen. Trying to find a way to attack Lloyd. Without hurting him. Both useless. Cole seemed to be thinking. A good, well-structured plan, no doubt. And one they had no time to execute.

Kai rolled his eyes. Being careful was a waste of time. Being impulsive, on the other hand. . .

"Screw this."

He turned back to the door, slamming his foot hard against the grass. It cracked, but did not break. With a huffing breath, Kai repeated the process. The cracks deepened.

Cole turned, quickly catching on to what Kai was attempting to do. "Okay. Together."

They both shot their legs forward. The glass shattered onto the street.

"Come on!" Kai shouted. Jay turned to look. As did Lloyd.

"No!" Lloyd shouted, sounding more like a child than the ancient entity housed within. "You will _not_."

Lloyd ran forward. The shadows rushing around him shot forward faster, gaining ground at an impossible speed. With a low hiss, Cole pulled Jay through to safety. Kai reached for Nya to do the same.

But Nya was no longer where she had been. She was running forward, aiming to meet Lloyd halfway. The shadows had been heading straight toward Pixal. Nya would not allow that.

"Sorry kid, but my friends come first," Nya muttered, more to herself than anything. With a roar, she gathered every bit of strength within her. Her power pulsed forward. A thick, wall of water.

Lloyd didn't have time to react. The water hit him full force.

His body gave away easily. Tossed back through the hall, nothing more than a puppet to the angered element.

The attack faded. Lloyd's body lay still. Soaked and unconscious.

"Crap." Kai eyed his sister warily. "That was terrifying."

"Sorry." Nya took a step back. Then another. With effort, she forced herself to turn away from the damage. "Let's get out of here quick."

Everyone rushed outside. Nya followed close behind. Then she realized the very person she'd gone haywire to save was missing. She turned back, spotting Pixal, hesitating in the threshold of the broken door.

"Pixal?"

Nya walked back. "Let's. . . we should go. Come with us. Don't worry about ECHO, I'm sure we'll find a way to get it back to normal. And we'll fix Borg right up too."

Pixal didn't answer. She simply stared at the world before her.

Nya tried to step into her friend's shoes. She knew Pixal had only known ECHO through every bit of her existence. How would the world seem to someone who knew nothing of it?

"I bet things seem overwhelming." Nya's eyes flickered to the hall behind Pixal. Lloyd was still out. No other androids in sight. She knew it wouldn't stay this way for long. "But look, you're with me. I'll teach you the ropes. And you've got that database of yours, you'll be able to-"

"I can not leave."

"-find the answer to most things on. . . wait, what?"

"I am sorry. I am glad to have helped. But I never had any intention of leaving ECHO."

"But. . . _Pixal_." Nya shook her head. "What do you mean? You can't stay here! Lloyd saw you! He knows you helped! It's- it would be dumb to stay behind and-"

"This is where I belong." Pixal shook her head. "This. . . is my place. I want to stay here. There must be something I can do to aid you from here."

"Pixal. . ." Nya wanted to grasp the android's hand, to forcefully drag her along with them. But they didn't have any time to deal with a reluctant companion. And of course, Pixal's decision was her own. As much as Nya disagreed. . . she had to respect that. "I won't make you do anything. But. . . you'll always have a place with us. Alright? And we won't leave things as they are. You can count on us to get things back on track."

"Yes." Pixal smiled. A true smile. "I believe that."

"I hope-"

" _Nya!_ " Her brother shouted from behind her. "Putting extreme pressure on this statement, we've got to _go_."

Nya shook her head. "I'll come back. I promise."

She didn't linger to hear Pixal's response. With burning eyes, Nya turned and ran.

* * *

"Lloyd!"

Garmadon stood. The chair beneath him shot back, bouncing over the aged floor. He leaned toward the camera. Lloyd's small body was flung back with a strong wave, before laying still, looking small, so, so small.

He knew the others didn't quite have a choice _not_ to fight his son. But it still filled him with a rush of anger. He wished there was something he could break.

"My team will bring them in soon."

Garmadon didn't bother to turn. Harumi's steps edge closer. She stopped once beside him. "And I found Misako."

The news interested him enough to turn away from the screen. But only for a second. Garmadon's eyes were back on his son by the time he spoke. "Ah. Where?"

"She's made quite a name for herself," Harumi said, leaning before the monitors, blocking Garmadon's view. "A well-respected professor at Ninjago's top university. It's well outside the city, so we should be able to get you there without ECHO hounding our backs."

"Alright," Garmadon said, edging his seat to the side to be able to watch the cameras once more. Lloyd was beginning to stir. So he was alright. Garmadon finally allowed himself to relax. "I'd like to talk to the others before we go anywhere."

"Of course," Harumi said, with a strained smile.

Garmadon had no reason to explain himself. But the look in Harumi's eyes made him feel obliged. "They're the only ones with any shot at stopping my son. They should be aware of what's going on."

Harumi nodded. Understanding? Somehow, Garmadon felt that his words had been the wrong answer.

* * *

"So how far do we run?"

Cole was not physically tired. He doubted Zane's metal body could feel genuine exhaustion. But his mind became muddier with each step. He wouldn't be able to possess the robot for long.

"As far as we can?" Kai shouted back at him. He, along with his sister, guided them forward through the alley's twists and turns. To Cole and Jay, it felt like they were running in circles. But ECHO kept growing further and further away.

"I think this is as far as _I_ can," Cole said, slowing to a stop. Jay mimicked his movements. "Zane's gonna have to- We're gonna have to- I don't know"

Cole fell out of Zane's body. When his body landed hard against the pavement, it was solid once more. "Ahh, that feels much better."

The others eyed Zane warily. There was no light in the robot's eyes.

"Um." Jay poked Zane's chest. "Hello?"

Zane's hand shot forward gripping Jay's hand with a deathly grip. Jay screamed, far too loud, and tried to reclaim his hand. The effort was futile.

"Jay." Zane's voice was calm. Not distorted. Not soulless. Just. . . confused.

Jay looked up at the android's eyes. They shone a clear, innocent blue. "Oh, _Zane_. Okay. Good. Hi. Hello. Can I have my hand back please?"

"Oh!" Zane looked down at his fingers, startled at their action. He let go of Jay's hand. "What. . . where are we? Have we escaped?"

"Yup," Kai said. "It's a long story though, so explanations later?"

"Can't we just explain now? I really don't want to get up." Cole whined. "I never realized how nice the floor feels. Why don't you guys try it out?"

"Yeah, so we can wind up right back where we started? Haha, no." Jay shook his head, holding out a hand to help Cole stand. "Come on big guy, we've got to keep going."

With a pout, Cole accepted Jay's help. Kai bounced on his toes, more than ready to go. "Okay. I was thinking we-. . . we. . ."

Kai gave a comically slow blink. He then took one step back, tittering off balance. His hand moved to his neck, where an almost invisible needle was impaled onto his skin. "That's-"

Before Kai could finish the statement, his eyes rolled back into his head, and he crumpled onto the ground. Nya's body followed, falling upon her brother's with a painful sound.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Jay stepped back, eyes flickering as fast as the jumping sparks in his arms. "What's- what- what happened?"

"Sleeping dart?" Cole yawned in response, before crumbling against the dirty ground.

Jay flinched. A quick bite of pain landed against his neck. The numbing sensation was almost instant.

"Ronin?" Zane asked the shadows.

The response was a harsh, crazed laugh. A woman stepped into his field of vision, with curiously grey skin. "Not quite!"

Before Zane could do much more than stare, a jolt of electricity sent him spiraling right back into the darkness.

* * *

Lloyd's body coughed. The Overlord grimaced.

It _hurt_. He was not used to hurting. Much less from something as petty as a cough.

There was also something very wrong with his body. He could not keep it from shivering. The Overlord coughed again, then growled, before standing.

Having a body was absolutely _infuriating_.

It made him weak. Vulnerable. It gave others the opportunity to defeat him.

He had believed they would not hurt the child. Yet, in the heat of battle, he doubted they would take much care. Most of all if their lives were on the line.

The Overlord needed his _own_ body. All-powerful and indestructible.

But for that, he needed his powers. Powers that had quite easily strolled through the front door.

Not on their own though. On their own, they wouldn't have accomplished anything. It was all thanks to someone, no, some _thing_ he should have been able to control. Should have, but had not. Overconfidence came at a high price.

At the very least, the android responsible for everything was still there, standing by the door, without having the will to step out of ECHO's bounds.

 _Good_ , The Overlord thought. He was feeling quite destructive.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Harumi's fidgeting was getting rough.

She could feel the skin of her fingers protest. Nails pressed too deep. Grip grew too tight. Harumi ignored the warnings. The crazed frustrations in her mind demanded an outlet.

Nothing was going the way she had planned. _Nothing_. It made her want to scream. It made her want to cry. It made her destructive. Harumi's head spun. She couldn't understand how everything had slipped away from her.

Lloyd. _Lloyd_. It had all started with the cursed child that should _not_ have existed.

Garmadon's son. How had she not known of him? There had been no word of him _anywhere_. Harumi was sure of it. And yet, there Lloyd was, robbing her of Garmadon's affection.

Not just Lloyd. The others too.

 _She_ was supposed to have freed Garmadon from Kryptarium. Every second, every minute, every _hour_ of her life had been dedicated to finding Garmadon a way out. Then the others had swooped in from nowhere, ruining everything.

 _They're the only ones with any shot at stopping my son._

Garmadon's voice burned against her mind. After all she'd shown him, he still didn't believe she was enough.

With a guttural sound in between a scream and a roar, Harumi kicked the object nearest to her. A table. It flipped over dramatically, landing with a shrill echo. She let the sound ring in her ears. Her breathing began to slow.

Garmadon didn't think she was enough. . . _yet._

Harumi would show him. She'd risen from worse. She had gotten to where she was all on her own, and she would rise higher still, until Garmadon would have no choice but to admit that _she_ was everything he'd ever need. No Lloyd. No others.

At the moment, he was blinded by their mediocrity. All Harumi needed to do was erase them from his sight. She had all the cards. She need only play them right.

Smiling once again, Harumi stepped out into the hall.

* * *

 _Waking up in unfamiliar surroundings better_ not _become a thing_.

Kai rubbed his eyes, trying to usher away the groggy feeling of forced slumber. He remembered running away. Then . . . nothing. Kai sat up slowly. The room he was in, at least, did look better than ECHO's cell.

He was on a bed. A surprisingly comfortable one. The others were there too, each cozied up on their own mattress. Still out.

"Hello?" Kai tested, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. His feet were bare, but a pair of black boots awaited him on the floor. Exactly his size. Creepy. But the material was good, better than anything he'd ever owned. He slipped his feet inside.

"Anyone-um, here?" Kai tried again, even though there really didn't look like anyone would answer. He tried the door of the room. To his relief, it was unlocked.

The hallway was empty and poorly lit. In whose hands had they fallen into now? Kai couldn't guess.

His steps echoed as he moved, making the hairs on his arms stand on end. There was something very eerie about the place. He didn't like it at all.

"You're awake."

The voice had been sudden. Kai gave a semi-loud yelp, twisting around to face the source. He pressed his hand against his chest. Willed his thudding heart to relax. It obeyed, though rather reluctantly. "G-Garmadon?"

"Are the others up yet?" Garmadon asked, ignoring Kai's pointless question. "I'd like to talk to you all as soon as possible."

"Why?" Kai narrowed his eyes. He couldn't help but feel distrust toward the man. "What are you even doing here? Where _is_ here?"

Garmadon studied him. Kai did not like it one bit. He stood straighter, taking on a defensive pose. In the end, the old man shrugged. "We're in an old building, at the edge of the city. There's a group of people who are willing to help take Lloyd down."

"Why?" Kai repeated.

"Is that all you can ask?" Garmadon shrugged. "I'm more interested in saving my son that I am interested in dumb questions."

"Yes, because knowing people's intentions is dumb." Kai rolled his eyes.

Garmadon glared. Kai held his ground.

In the end, Garmadon looked away, giving his head a shake. As if Kai were not worth his time. "Let's just go see the others. There is something you all need to know."

"About what?"

With a huff and no answer, Garmadon set off down the hall.

* * *

Pixal's existence should have been erased.

The powerful child had destroyed everything that she had once been. She had felt no pain, of course. She had felt only wonder at the incredible amount of power such a small body contained.

Then, as her direct connection with the world was severed, Pixal had felt something else.

Worry.

How could the others ever hope to fix this? Even as a team. Even with their strengths.

Yes, they had demonstrated that the boy was not invincible. But they were not the only ones who had learned from that fight. The boy would have learned as well. And next time, the boy would be ready.

The others would not stand much of a chance.

Pixal thought of them all.

She had not known Cole and Jay well. Their stay in ECHO had been brief. But in the moments she had seen them together, the bond of their friendship had been obvious. Pixal admired it. To trust someone so fully. To care for their well-being as if it were your own. It amazed her.

Then, Kai. She had known him a bit more. There was an intensity to him that she could not gauge. He had been untrusting. Skeptical. All too aware of the dangers of the negative aspects of their situation. Yet, there was an optimism within him that had refused to die. Kai had never stopped believing in his ability to solve it all.

Zane. So much like her. And so very different. Pixal hoped he had slipped away from the boy's control. His mind had intrigued her. He was intelligent, knowledgeable, and somehow, still deeply innocent. Pixal wanted to mirror his curiosity, to feel the same excitement at learning everything there was to know.

Most of all, Pixal thought of Nya.

Her friend. Because yes, Pixal realized, Nya had truly seen her as a _friend_. Despite the fact that Pixal had not been working with Nya's best interests in mind. Despite the fact that Pixal was not worth the attention.

Nya had taken the time to know her. Had treated her as an equal. Had made Pixal realize that maybe, just maybe, she was more than she realized. Nya had made her feel like she truly was some _one_ , not just some _thing_.

Thus, Pixal worried.

Her active consciousness stubbornly continued to exist, she could not go, not when they needed her.

Nothing was as it had been before. She could not see, could not feel, could not move as she once had. Her body was gone.

But she was still there.

* * *

"I _knew_ it!" Jay beamed, slamming both his hands against his legs. "Lloyd's mom! The answer to everything. Didn't I tell you?"

Nya shook her head. "How's it feel to be right for the first time ever?"

"Amazing, thank you for asking." Jay replied, sticking his tongue out. Nya returned the gesture.

Garmadon rubbed his temples. _This_ was what he had to rely on?

"I will go speak with her." He pressed on, eager to get the conversation moving. "I suppose you could tag along. Or you could stay here. I doubt it matters."

"I'll go, of course." Harumi said. She stood by the door, keeping her distance from the others. Garmadon noticed that she hadn't told them much. Only that she wanted to help. He was glad. He still wasn't sure how he felt about these so-called _Sons of Garmadon_. "It'd probably be better if most of you stayed. The less people who come, the faster we'll move."

"I'll go too." Kai said, eyeing Harumi with interest. The kid with the questions. Garmadon could already feel a headache coming on, at the mere thought of sharing a trip with him.

"There's. . . someone in ECHO I'd like to help." Nya said, softly, before straightening. "Is there any way that-"

"Yes," Harumi cut off Nya's sentence. "We have partial control over ECHO's security systems. If you would like to remain here, help my team with finding weaknesses. . ."

"I would like to stay behind as well, if that is the case." Zane said. He exchange a quick smile with Nya. "Pixal is the reason I am here. I would like to do as much as I can for her."

"Good." Harumi said, with a smile. "You both look smart. I'm sure my team could use you."

"I'll. . . do whatever Cole decides," Jay shrugged. Garmadon noticed his brother's invention around the boy's wrist. A clever shortcut to keep his power in check. But a shortcut nonetheless. Garmadon made a mental note to advise against relaying too much upon it.

Cole turned at the sound of his name. His eyes had a faraway look, but he forced himself to focus. "What am I deciding?"

Jay turned to him with a frown. Then he turned back to Harumi. "We'll stay."

The girl seemed to beam at the news. Even as she tried to downplay her emotions, Garmadon could see enough to know what she was feeling. But he couldn't begin to guess at what she was _thinking_.

He looked back toward Kai. Maybe the little runt had a point after all. What did he know anything about Harumi at all?

She had treated him with respect and admiration. She had done all he had asked. But. . . why?

Garmadon had known something was off. He'd shoved aside the feeling, too focused on helping Lloyd, and too allured by having someone do his bidding. But the longer he walked this path blindfolded, the longer it would take for him to find his way back.

With a sigh, Garmadon excused himself from the room. He needed time to think.

This was bound to be quite the interesting trip.

* * *

Jay knew Cole couldn't sleep.

He twisted and turned, blanket ruffling against the silence. Throughout the day, Cole had been distant. Distracted. Each time Jay brought this to his attention, Cole would shrug and joke, waving away the concerns. But Jay had used this tactic himself often enough to recognize it.

Something was bothering Cole. Jay wished he could put his finger on it.

But nothing had happened. At least, Jay didn't think it had. Sure, their escape hadn't gone quite as expected, but all in all, it had been successful. It shouldn't have upset him.

Yet, upset he was. They had gotten new clothes. A warm shower. Fulfilling meals. All things Cole should have been over the moon about. And he was not. He had gone through everything with a withdrawn expression. Deep in thoughts Jay couldn't reach.

Jay heard Cole sit up. Heard him shuffle forward, out of the room.

Jay mimicked his movements. With a few short hops, he slipped on his boots. Bolted out of the room after him.

Cole was a shadow down the hall.

"Cole." Jay hissed. It took everything inside him not to shout.

Cole stopped. His head drooped. He didn't turn. "What?"

Jay approached him. "Are you going to tell me what's wrong _now_?"

They exchanged glances. "I'm going to go see my dad."

"What?" That had definitely not been on the list of things Jay had expected to hear. "Why? We can't. Everyone will be looking for us. We don't know how far The Overlord can reach. What if he can find us anywhere? I don't know how much we could do on our own."

" _We?_ I never said anything about you coming." Cole said. Jay's already tightened features frowned deeper. Cole sighed. "I'm sorry. I didn't- You don't have to come along, is what I meant to say."

"Well of course I'll come along. Even if I think it's a horrible idea." Jay said. "But you've got to tell me why."

"Because. . ." Cole was silent for a moment. It was hard for Jay not to push him to speak. "I don't know how long I'll be able to stay, you know, not a ghost. So I want to see him before anything happens."

"Well, heh, unless- um, unless you're planning on dying anytime soon, I think maybe this could wait? Until things are safe, I mean."

"That's the thing. I don't know if I'll make it to when 'things are safe'." Cole shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket. Pockets. Another underrated thing about being alive. "The only reason I'm here, is because of this Overlord, right? And the only way to fix everything is to rid Ninjago of him. Well, when we do that, what'll happen to me?"

"Oh." Jay saw the problem. He bit his lip. "Well. . . maybe nothing'll happen. Maybe you're just alive for good."

"And if I'm not?"

"Well we can, we. . . we could-"

"There isn't anything _to_ do." A heavy silence hefted over them both. "Which is fine. I'm used to being a ghost! It's got its advantages. For example, I don't have to be assaulted by horrible smells every other second. I can't believe how many things _smell_."

Jay tried to laugh. Didn't quite make it.

"I just want to see my dad. Just in case."

Jay nodded. "Okay. Then, let's go."

They continued to walk down the hall. They weren't sure where the exit lay, but they supposed finding one wouldn't prove to be too difficult.

The way out was, indeed, simple enough to find. Getting _out_ on the other hand. . .

Jay and Cole froze on their tracks, eyes squinted as they tried to make out the shadowy figure blocking their path. It stepped closer, to make itself easier to recognize. Harumi.

"Up a little late, no?" She asked. Her tone was friendly enough.

"Yeah. There's something I need to do." Cole explained, seeing no point in lying. They weren't prisoners after all. Right? "We'll be back."

"Something you need to do?"

"I need to talk to my dad. It's important."

"I'd say it's dangerous."

"We can take care of ourselves." Cole said. "Thank you for the help. I promise we'll be back to return the favor, before we make our move against ECHO."

"Hmm." Harumi's eyes were filled with amusement. Cole lifted an eyebrow in question. He hadn't exactly said anything funny. "Well, here. Take this."

Harumi unclasped a small device from her wrist. She tossed it in Cole's direction, who caught it with ease. "You can communicate with us through that. Whenever you're done talking with your father, just press the little blue button. It'll tell us your location. We'll come pick you up."

"Thanks." Cole pushed it into his pocket.

"No problem." Harumi stepped away from the door with a smile. "I'd offer you a ride _to_ your dad, but. . . I don't think you'd want to accidently wake anyone?"

"No." Cole shook his head. They'd probably try to convince him to stay. The whole we-need-to-stick-together speech. One that was probably right. But Cole _needed_ to do this. Besides, he didn't want to share his fears with anyone else. "That's alright. Thanks. Again."

"Good luck!"

* * *

"I need to bring them back." The Overlord said. He sat in Wu's office, looking very small against the oversized chair. "But how?"

When Zane had slipped from his grasp, The Overlord had realized he truly couldn't control everything at once. The other androids did his bidding well enough, but only because their minds were empty. They had been built to do whatever was asked of them.

Too bad they were lousy soldiers. They were good when it came to terrifying the general population. But The Overlord didn't think they were strong enough to bring the others back to him.

Wu would be useful. The old man was smart. The old man could fight.

The old man could track them down.

"How?" He asked again, a bit louder now, making Borg jolt. "That other robot. He got away from me. I don't want that happening again."

"Well. . ." Borg's eyes shifted. He had an idea. One he didn't want to share. The Overlord was strong enough as it was. And he had still not forgiven the entity for what he had done to Pixal. "Maybe upgraded-um, upgraded androids. They could-"

"No." The Overlord shook his head. "You have a better idea. Tell me."

Borg looked away.

The Overlord did not move. But the shadows beneath him twisted, slithering straight into Borg's mind. The man gave a weak whimper, hands balling into fists. "Ah. You truly believe you can do this? And it will not make me weaker?"

"It- It could." Borg lied.

"A lie." The Overlord said simply, sending a ripple of pain through Borg's mind. "Lying to me will accomplish nothing."

Swallowing back a scream, Borg forced himself to straighten. "It wouldn't weaken you. Your. . . strength seems to be. . . growing. If you were to place part of yourself within a memory chip then- in _theory_ , you could keep control over anyone. Regardless of their mental strength, or the distance they were from you."

"Do it. Use Wu." The Overlord relaxed his grip on Borg's mind.

Borg nodded.

"And this other idea of yours. . . about upgraded androids?" The Overlord spun the chair, so that he was facing the office's large window. He watched the city below him. Few people walked the streets. They had proved to be nothing more than minor trouble so far. But he would not be caught by surprise again.

He needed a _true_ army.

"Build them."


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Misako took a long slow sip from her coffee. The cup was warm to the touch, almost uncomfortably so. She found the feeling comforting.

With a sigh, she reluctantly lowered the cup.

She booted up her laptop, not bothering to scroll past Ninjago City's panicked news articles. She'd known things were wrong for a long, long time. Instead, she opened her research. The world of a lifetime.

Misako scrolled past the pictures of her annotated blueprints. Without ECHO's resources, her ideas were as useless as a piece of lint. She had taken too long, and done too little. And now it was too late.

The letters stared back at her in a mocking manner. _Did you save your son?_ They asked. _Did you accomplish anything?_

 _Or did you ruin everyone's lives?_

Misako raised the warm cup to her lips again. She downed the liquid too quickly, the rush of caffeine dizzying. "I tried my best."

But had she?

She wasn't really sure anymore. She couldn't recall the thought process behind any of her actions. Why had she left Garmadon behind in Kryptarium when she'd _known_ what he had done had been right? Why had she abandoned her child?

Whatever noble purpose she had given herself before had been nothing but a comforting lie. She'd run away from everything. She'd been terrified.

"No."

Her voice resonated in the emptiness of her office. The halls outside were silent. Classes had been canceled until further notice. Too many of the students and professors had rushed to the city, in a fearful attempt to keep friends and family safe.

"No," Misako repeated, straightening. She scrolled back to the blueprints. She could make this work. Losing ECHO was a setback. But she wouldn't let everything she had sacrificed mean nothing.

A loud ringing erupted in her ears. Misako jolted. The phone. It had not rung in some time. She had begun to wonder if the system was still functional. She doubted The Overlord saw keeping up communications as a priority.

Another ring. Misako stood. Answered.

"Professor Garmadon of Archeology speaking."

Instead of words, the sound in her ear was a scoff of laughter. The sound made her heart twist. It was a sound she doubted she'd ever hear again.

 _Kept the last name then, huh?_

"Garmadon!?" Misako leaned against her desk.

 _Good to know you still remember what my voice sounds like._ Garmadon replied, laughing again. _I'm going to keep this quick. I don't want this conversation to last longer than it has to._

Misako waited.

 _You know what's going on in the city?_

"Yes. I know about Lloyd."

 _Anything you can do to help?_ Garmadon asked. _I'd hate to head over there, only to realize you're as useless at helping our son as you were in helping_ me.

Misako did her best to ignore the harsh tone. "There's something I've been working on. But I don't know if it would work. And I don't know how I'd be able to-"

 _No need for a story, Misako. It's a yes or no question. Can you help?_

For a moment, she gritted her teeth. Then, she reminded herself that Garmadon had every right to be as bitter as he was. "Yes."

 _Well, see you soon, Professor,_ Garmadon said before cutting off the call.

"See you soon." Misako responded, to no one. She slowly moved the phone back into place. Then she stood still, mind reeling, her heart aching with desperate confusion.

* * *

All in all, Lloyd could say he should have seen this coming.

It would have taken a really big idiot to believe otherwise.

All in all, Lloyd could say he _was_ a really big idiot.

The warning signs had all been there. Lloyd could see them now. Way, way too clearly. After all, when you were nothing more than a shivering thought, there was not much to do other than, well, _think_.

The Overlord was always busy doing things Lloyd wanted no part of. It was easier to immerse himself into his memories.

Lloyd liked thinking about the others. And he liked thinking about his dad.

There was _one_ memory Lloyd had stubbornly avoided. But he kept edging toward it, dancing around the general details, before rushing off to something more pleasant. Seeing the same things on a loop, however, was a boring past time. Even if they were nice.

So with a deep, metaphorical, breath, Lloyd revisited his final day in boarding school.

He had been mad. _Really_ mad.

Lloyd paced the halls with huffing breaths, ranting to the voice inside his head.

"He's supposed to be my _friend_." Lloyd hissed. He slowed his stomps by a window. Outside, Lloyd's classmates tossed a ball around, joking with one another. Joking about _him_ no doubt. "But he's only my friend when it's convenient. And he makes fun of me when it isn't."

 _You should teach him to respect you,_ the voice in his head suggested, and Lloyd nodded along. Respect. Yeah. If Brad knew about half the things he could do. . .

But they were supposed to be a secret. His dad had been very clear about that, in most of the letters Lloyd received. Don't trust the voice. Don't accept what it offers.

Don't. Don't. Don't.

Lloyd pouted. "How about _don't_ leave me in the worst place that ever existed?"

 _Your father will never know._ The voice cooed in Lloyd's ears. The child found himself nodding again. Brad deserved to be taught a lesson.

"Tonight." Lloyd agreed at last.

 _Tonight,_ the voice echoed. Lloyd shuddered with excitement. He couldn't tell if it was coming from him or from the voice inside his mind.

The wait was nearly unbearable. Each time Brad slipped into Lloyd's field of vision, he couldn't help but smile slyly. Brad had absolutely _no_ idea what was coming his way.

After dinner, the teachers herded them to the dormitories. As Lloyd struggled to construct a plan that would leave him alone with Brad, a tug on his sleeve solved every one of his problems. Lloyd turned.

"Hey, I-um, can you come with me?" Brad's eyes shifted. The teachers near them were distracted. "I'm- I know you're upset but- I didn't want- See, _Gene_ is the one you should be mad at, he's the one who had the idea."

"I believe you," Lloyd lied, with exaggerated kindness. He was surprised to see Brad drink his words right up. "Where are we going?"

"The attic." Brad smirked proudly, flashing an old key in Lloyd's direction. "I'll bet we find something there that'll _really_ spook Gene. Then he'll leave you alone for sure!"

The attic!

Things could not have been any better. Lloyd nodded enthusiastically.

Sneaking away was easy. Brad and Lloyd were small, and they were both used to slipping out of people's sights. They snickered softly and teasingly shoved each other as they worked to unlock the door to the attic. Lloyd could feel the power inside him pulsing just beneath the surface, so, _so_ eager to be unleashed.

"What do you think they keep here?" Brad asked, climbing up an aged set of stairs. Each step groaned beneath his weight. Lloyd followed behind, the smile in his features growing.

"Old stuff." Lloyd shrugged, not really interested. Brad clicked on the light switch. The bulb was dim, causing shadows to drape over every object. Perfect.

 _Now?_ The voice questioned.

"Now." Lloyd responded.

"Now, what?" Brad wondered, turning back to face his friend. "What are you-. . . Ll-Lloyd?"

Brad took a step back. Lloyd took a step forward. Darkness converged around him, feeling Lloyd with glee. He could feel the shadows wrapping themselves around him. Comforting friends.

"You messed with the wrong person, Brad." Lloyd didn't know where the words had come from. They felt right. _Especially_ while Brad quivered in fear. Lloyd wished he had a camera.

With a flick of his wrist, the shadows wrapped themselves around Brad. Lifted him a couple of feet of the ground. "You're- You're really scaring me, Lloyd. What's-What are you doing?"

Lloyd wanted to drop Brad then. Channel the energy back toward himself. End it all with a good dose of mocking laughter. Brad would eventually laugh too. Then maybe, they'd plan to use Lloyd's abilities on Gene himself. See how _he_ liked being humiliated.

Except none of the things Lloyd wanted happened. Everything only got worse.

A rush of memories that weren't his own flooded Lloyd's mind.

Brad's skin began to grow pale. At first Lloyd thought it was only fear. Then he realized whatever was inside him was beginning to feel stronger.

The darkness somehow managed to deepen. The shadows turned from friends to shackles.

 _Stop!_ Lloyd shouted, except the sound was only in his mind. His lips wouldn't part. His body wouldn't budge. And all the while, Brad grew weaker and weaker. _Stop it! This isn't what-_

The lightbulb burst. Brad's body dropped to the floor. Lloyd took a gasping breath, the feeling of his body rushing to him all at once.

No shadows in the darkness.

"Why did you-" Lloyd shook his head. "I said _stop_. You didn't listen."

The voice hadn't answered then. And Lloyd hadn't had time to wonder about much more. He heard Brad begin to cry softly. For now. But soon enough they'd find him. And what would they do to him then?

Lloyd hadn't known. And he had been too afraid to find out. So he'd run.

Toward the only person he had known he could trust.

His father.

* * *

"Why _are_ you helping us?" Kai asked Harumi.

They were traveling in a small car. Nya would have surely known the model, maybe even the exact date it had been manufactured. All Kai knew, was that it was cramped. And uncomfortable.

Garmadon sat in the front seat. The driver was one of Harumi's many. . . henchmen? Co-rebels? Friends? He had forgettable features and attitude. Kai smirked. A background character in the flesh.

Harumi sat beside him. Her blonde hair was tied up in a loose bun. Although her expression appeared to be relaxed, the tapping fingers against her thigh suggested otherwise. "What do you mean? Why _wouldn't_ I help you? I do live in Ninjago City too, you know."

"Fair point." Kai acknowledged. "So let me rephrase the question. How come you have an _actual_ hideout and a bunch of buddies to go with it? Lloyd didn't start causing mayhem till a few days ago. And yet. . ."

Harumi didn't respond instantly. Her eyes lingered on Kai. He could practically see her carefully weaving an answer in her head. She gave a soft laugh and shook her head, as if the truth were simply ridiculous. "You're going to laugh if I tell you."

"I. . . can't say I _won't_ but it would probably be good to be honest with each other." Kai said.

"Well, for as long as I can remember, I've known Garmadon was innocent. It's a long story. But I hated knowing he was in Kryptarium for doing something that had to be done." Harumi's voice was soft, as if she didn't want anyone else to hear her words. She leaned closer to Kai, and he did the same. "Everything I did was to try and get him out. That's why I have such a big team. Breaking someone out of that prison should have taken a lot of manpower. But I guess people _with_ powers work just as well.

"I'm glad you got him out. Thank you for that."

"Oh- I- well-" Kai shifted back away from Harumi. He hadn't exactly known what to expect when questioning the girl, but _gratitude_ sure hadn't been on the list. "You're welcome. But, really, it was all Lloyd. We wouldn't have done anything if it hadn't had been for him."

"Right. Lloyd." Something Harumi's voice put Kai on edge again. He studied her for a moment, but nothing at all seemed to be amiss. She'd done nothing to gain such mistrust from him. She was only trying to help.

Or was she?

Kai shook his head, turning back toward the window. Maybe things had gone wrong for him one time too many, and now he was seeing shadows and monsters where there was nothing at all.

They arrived at the university, after what seemed like years of sitting still. Kai hopped out of the car, eager to get moving.

The place was bigger than what Kai had initially pictured. At the moment, it was mostly empty, but he could easily imagine students rushing to and fro. Some eager, some reluctant. For a moment, Kai imagined himself as one of them. What would he study? Where would he go?

Who could he become?

"You going to stand there all day, kid?"

Kai's eyes shifted over to Garmadon. He and Harumi were looking back, waiting. Kai trotted forward to meet them.

Study? Now that he'd been shaken back into reality, Kai almost laughed at the thought. The shop needed him. As did his sister. Once things were back on track, he wouldn't have any sort of time to goof around.

"So Lloyd's mom, huh?" Kai asked, as they moved through the halls, occasionally asking for directions. "What's the story there?"

"The 'story there' is none of your business." Garmadon responded.

"I'm just trying to make casual conversation. No need to be so feisty." Kai said, earning half a smile from Harumi. He returned the gesture.

"We met in ECHO." Garmadon relented. "Married, eventually. Then she decided to disappear when everything fell apart."

They stopped, after reaching the office of Lloyd's mom. Impatient as he felt, Kai respected Garmadon's hesitation. After muttering a couple of choices words under his breath, the grey-haired man knocked.

The door opened. The sudden wave of tension was so grand, it almost felt like an extra physical presence. Garmadon and the woman stared at one another for a long moment, each too busy with their own thoughts to speak.

It was Garmadon who broke the silence. "Misako."

"Garmadon."

Silence. _Again_.

Kai rolled his eyes. Held out his hand. "I'm Kai. And that's Harumi. And you can help us with Lloyd?"

" _Kai_ ," Misako's smile widened as she took him in. "Wow. You grew into quite the handsome gentleman, huh?"

She grasped Kai's shoulders, studying him momentarily before pulling him into an embrace. Kai deeply regretted drawing attention to himself. "I saw you on the news. Your powers. . . They're far more than we ever could have expected. How difficult are they to control? Do they require much stamina? Can your own fire harm you, or are you immune to its effects? How-"

Garmadon pulled Kai back out of Misako's grasp. Kai had never felt more grateful.

"If you don't mind, Misako, we aren't in a lab, and Kai isn't some specimen for you to study. What do you know about getting rid of that . . . thing, inside Lloyd?"

"Right." Misako straightened herself. "I'm sorry. I can't help asking questions sometimes. I hope I didn't freak you out."

"It's- uh- It's all good." Kai responded, but still increased the distance between himself and Misako.

"Well. . . You should come in." Misako stepped inside her office, waving the others inside. She sat behind a large desk, shuffling through a stack of papers. Garmadon and Harumi remained standing. After a couple of seconds to make sure neither of them were going to move, Kai sat on the only other chair.

"Here we go." Misako slid a paper forward. They all leaned toward it. It looked like some sort of blueprint, but not for anything Kai could recognize.

"What is it?" Harumi asked.

"A weapon." Misako said, simply. She turned to Kai. "It'll work with your powers. Channel them. Use them on ECHO's systems, to purge it from them."

"It'll weaken him. And if you can find the root of everything, it should be destroyed completely."

"The root." Kai echoed. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, the place it was originated from. It wasn't born in Lloyd's mind. It latched onto it. So there must be another source."

Kai saw Garmadon's eyes shift, but the man didn't comment.

"And how are we supposed to find it?"

"That's the catch." Misako sighed. "I don't know. And there's also two other things."

Kai waited. He didn't like the expression on Misako's face. And he was sure he wouldn't like whatever words would soon come out of her mouth.

"The only place you'll be able to build the weapons will be in one of ECHO's labs." Misako said. Garmadon scoffed.

"Great." Kai sighed. They'd only _just_ managed to escape the place. And now they had to waltz right back in? At the very least, he hoped The Overlord wouldn't be expecting it. The element of surprise might come to their aid one last time.

"I'll do my best to write clear instructions. I hope it won't be too difficult." Misako bit her lip, eyeing the blueprints with worry. "If there was someway to keep contact, maybe, we could-"

"Why don't you go yourself?" Garmadon challenged.

"What?"

"I mean, you seem to know a lot more about those things than these kids. Why not go with them yourself? Too dangerous? Too much?"

Misako narrowed her eyes. "I know my limits, Garmadon. I'd only slow them down."

"You always have an excuse at the ready, don't you? A perfect reason to do perfectly nothing." Garmadon shook his head. "Forget about leaving me in Kryptarium. Why did you abandon Lloyd? The kid _needed_ you."

"I did what I thought was right. I'm not saying I'm perfect, but I-"

"Jay can build it." Kai said loudly, cutting off Misako's words. He reached for the blueprints. Rolled them up. "He's good with these things."

"Oh." Misako blinked. Nodded. Suddenly remembered her and Garmadon weren't the only ones in her office. "That's. . . that would work well. Yes. Good."

"And the third thing?"

"The what?"

"You said there were _two_ more things, aside from finding the root." Kai waved the blueprints. "This is one. What's the other?"

"The other . . ." Misako's eyes refocused. "Well, the thing is, the source of your powers is-"

"The thing inside Lloyd. Yeah." Kai nodded. "We figured out that much."

"Well . . . Once you destroy it. . ." Misako paused.

Kai could guess what Misako's next words would be. His hands tightened into fists. The blueprint crumpled under his grip. "Ninjago is saved and we all live happy lives forever?"

Misako gave Kai a sad smile. "Of course. But. . . you won't be able to use your powers any longer."


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

"I spy something. . . white."

Cole rolled his eyes. He loved Jay. He did. Couldn't ask for a better friend. But sometimes, it was a true challenge not to stuff a cloth in his mouth. "I Spy" wasn't very entertaining to begin with, and when _everything_ looked the same, it became downright tedious. Birchwood Forest hadn't grown with this particular game in mind.

"Cole, you have to guess," Jay protested, trotting backward so he could look into his friend's face.

"Snow." Cole responded begrudgingly. He knew Jay wouldn't let up. At the very least, they should be near his father's town by now. He hoped. There wasn't a way to know for sure.

"Nope." Jay shook his head.

"Clouds?"

"Nope! We already did those. It's something different."

"There's nothing _else_. Why don't we listen to the soothing silence of the forest instead?"

"Because that's boring. Now guess."

Cole did. He tried everything he could think off. And every time, Jay responded with a _Nope!_ Accompanied by a wagging finger. "That's everything here. What else could you possibly see?"

"Giving up, then?"

"Sure."

"The strings of your hoodie!" Jay laughed, "Maybe if you didn't have a boulder instead of a brain, you'd have guessed that."

Cole narrowed his eyes. He had felt his powers steadily returning, but hadn't had a chance to try them out as of yet. And now, here Jay was, presenting him with the perfect opportunity.

With a sly movement of his fingers, Cole commanded the earth behind Jay to rise. Not much, but enough.

Jay, still walking backwards trusting of the even level of the snow, tripped over the unexpected change of terrain. His arms flailed in an attempt to keep him balanced. They failed miserably. His body fell back, then sunk into the snow.

Cole looked down at him, smirking in triumph. "I don't know, a boulder for a brain _can_ be useful at times."

Jay growled, and Cole laughed as he walked away. His laughter grew louder still, as he listening to Jay struggling to stand.

The amusement within him died quickly, eyes narrowing on the road ahead.

"I'll teach you to mess with _me_ ," Jay said behind him. "Just you wait until-"

"Look," Cole said, interrupting Jay's pouty speech. "Footprints."

"Oh, goodie." Jay said, with a shiver. He followed Cole's eyes to the ground, then adopted the expression on his friend's features. "That's- That's a _lot_ of footprints."

"Yeah. . ." Cole bit his lip. His thoughts whirred ahead of him, and he moved to follow them. Something was off about the prints beneath him. Something _other_ than the overwhelming number.

"Any chance the people of your town like impromptu parades through the forest?" Jay chuckled weakly. The snow beneath them began to change into muddy slush as they neared Birchwood's end.

Cole stopped at last, looking at the path they'd taken and the path yet to take. "They're too deep."

"What?"

"The footprints. Look. Ours don't sink that low. Whatever made these was carrying something heavy."

"Or whatever made them _was_ heavy," Jay suggested. "Like. . . maybe metal heavy?"

"Androids?" Cole frowned. "If they're here. . . think The Overlord knows we're coming?"

"Hopefully he's only trying to spread his control." Jay shrugged. "No big deal either way. Androids aren't particularly good at fighting. Two zaps and they're done. Heck. _One_ zap."

Jay snapped the bracelet off his wrist. He formed a couple of sparks, allowing them to bounce around as he got reacquainted with the sharpened flow of energy.

"Still. Let's be careful."

They slowed their pace as they moved. To Cole, things began to look familiar. Bits of memories cropped up here and there. Testing his powers. Climbing the trees. _Running away_.

The trees spread further from one another. Cole could see buildings now, small and humble, united by unpaved roads. His eyes greedily searched the scenery. Something inside him bubbled. Warmth spread through his chest, as a smile broke across his features.

He was _back_. He was _home_. He was-

Being roughly tugged toward the ground.

Cole gave into the unexpected lurch. He snapped an angered glare in Jay's direction. The hiss of protest died in his throat. Jay was pointing fearfully toward something.

Cole turned back to the town. And finally spotted what his homesick eyes had purposely missed.

* * *

Hundreds of miles away, in a completely different setting, Nya's eyes widened at the same time Cole's did.

"What. . . are they?" Zane frowned, leaning closer to the screens, as if doing so would yield more detail.

Robots clad in black clothing and black masks spread through the town. Their eyes glowed red, and each had a seemingly powerful gun clutched in their hands. Nya watched them bully Ninjago's citizens around with unnecessary shows of force. Her fists clenched, and a wave of anger rippled through her.

"They're a problem, that's what they are." She hissed. "What's The Overlord playing at? He already has control of the city."

"But he doesn't have control of _you_." A voice cackled from the doorway. Nya and Zane turned, watching one of Harumi's rebels waltz into the room. Zane recognized her as the person who had retrieved them after their escape from ECHO. "They sure look like fun."

"They look like trouble." Nya disagreed, with a shake of her head. "If they find us. . ."

"We'll take care of them." The woman responded with a hiss. "Are you afraid of some tin cans? Even with your powers?"

Nya rolled her eyes, refusing to acknowledge the taunt with a response. "We need to know what they're made of. What their weaknesses are."

"Why don't you go ask the demon child for the blueprints then?"

"That's. . . A great idea, actually."

"Excuse me?" Zane frowned. "We only just escaped. I do not see how this would entail as a great idea."

"Well, we wouldn't have to go _in_. You really think Cyrus would have designed things on paper? No. All we need to do is hack into their system. We can do that from the outside." Nya's eyes suddenly sparked. Zane took an involuntary step back. "We can do that through _you_. Pixal was able to access everything with her mind. Why not you?"

"Because. . ." Zane shook his head. He hadn't known the truth of who he was for long. He had no idea how anything within him. . . _worked_. "I do not know how to-"

"We'd have to be quick. I don't know how sensitive The Overlord's reach is, but if he figures out _you're_ plugged into the system, he'll try to take you again." Nya began to pace. "So we can't get too close. An antenna? I suppose that could work. I'd need to see what your. . . design is compatible with though. It would also be helpful if we could find a way to connect to Pixal. She'd be able to help. . ."

"It does sound. . . good, but again, Nya, I can _not_ control what is-"

"We'd still need a place _in_ the city." Nya continued, once again cutting off Zane's pleas. She didn't look like she had heard him at all. "This is too far. I mean, with enough time I'd probably be able to figure it out but- no. We need to do this before the others get back."

Granted, Nya had no knowledge of _when_ the others would return. She could have plenty of time. Or she could have no time at all. Kai's little venture shouldn't take more than a day or two. But what about Jay and Cole? She had no idea what to expect. Harumi had insisted they'd be back, but had yielded no more information.

"The sooner the better, either way.," she told herself.

Zane sighed, admitting defeat. "Well, I _do_ have access to a place in the city. . ."

* * *

"What _are_ they?" Jay said at last, his voice a whisper. "They definitely don't look like regular androids."

"They're The Overlord's response to us running away. I'll bet they're all over the city too." Cole sighed. So close, yet so far. "How are we supposed to deal with them? The Overlord knows about our powers. I bet they'll be strong enough to pose a challenge."

"Yeah." Jay agreed. He eyed the weapons warily. "Plus _guns_. I don't feel too comfortable about being shot at. Maybe we should leave."

"No way. What about my dad?"

Jay grimaced, but didn't argue.

"Strong or not, they're still just robots at the end of the day. Your lightning should still be useful."

"Even if it is, there are a _lot_ of them. How can we keep our eye on them all at once? They'll realize who we are, and what we're doing. They'll overpower us."

"There's a plaza at the center of town. If I can lure them all there, you can zap them from the rooftops." Cole began to form the plan as he spoke, staring at nothing in particular. "There's only two streets that lead into it. I'll block one out. They'll be trapped."

"Sure," Jay scoffed. "Until, again, they realize what we're doing. They take me down. Mission failed."

"So we take them all out at once."

" _How_?"

"There's a fountain. At the center of the plaza. I break it. Water soaks everything. All you need is one zap." Cole sat up, as if Jay had already silently agreed to the plan. "It'll work."

Jay reached out, dragging him back down before he could run into town. "What about you? You can't expect me to do that while you're in the center of everything. And what about the people in town? What if I hurt one of them too?"

"I'm sure they'll run off. I doubt they'll want to be anywhere near The Overlord's little goonies. And I'll- I'll just ghost out. No problem."

"Yeah. In the middle of the _water-soaked_ streets."

Cole paused. "Then. . . I'll lift the ground beneath me to safety."

"Putting a lot of faith on powers you're barely recovering."

"It'll work. Just get to the plaza."

Before Jay had time to react, Cole pushed himself forward and ran into the small town. The ninja-like androids, _Ha-. . .Nindroids_ thought Jay with zero amusement, instantly snapped to attention.

They lifted their weapons. Before they could so much as aim, Cole knocked the guns out of their hands with a flick of his hand, sending carefully aimed rocks forward. Jay blinked, impressed with his friend's control.

The momentary victory didn't last long, as more and more nindroids continued to pour into the street. Cole gave a few lazy attacks, before setting off into a run. The nindroids followed. After silently cursing his friend, Jay did the same.

He dodged through the alleys, making sure to stay out of sight. At the very least, it was easy enough to follow the sound of Cole's chaos. But the sound of metallic footsteps continued to grow to no end. Just how many nindroids were there?

The Overlord sure didn't pull his punches.

Jay slowed as he spotted the plaza, and the fountain. Cole stood at the center of it all, focusing more on defending himself than attacking. Jay's legs shook beneath him at he took in the sight of their enemies. Cole wouldn't last long.

Which meant Jay had to hurry. But how to get on the roof?

His eyes shifted left and right, searching for an easy way up. Nothing. The walls themselves were perfectly smooth, offering no helpful footholds.

Electricity crackled around his arms as his nerves rose. _Think, Jay, think!_

With a frown, an idea entered his jumbled thoughts.

He looked down at the lighting around his arms.

Muttering a wish and a prayer, Jay jumped up, shooting lighting straight at the ground to propel himself upward. The snapping and buzzing of the electricity roared in his ears, and he was certain he'd captured the attention of every one of the nindroids.

Still, his body soared. And despite the circumstances, Jay couldn't help but laugh in triumph.

His body flipped in the air, the pulse of lightning beneath him imperfect and unbalanced. Jay landed on his back, head slamming hard against the roof's surface. The world dimmed and danced as he forced himself to stand. He stumbled toward the edge.

Cole spotted him instantly. With a confident smile, he stomped on the fountain. The walls holding the water within crumbled without effort.

The nindroids seemed completely unbothered by the thin veil of water running past their feet. They continued to advance toward Cole, who had now raised his hands in mock defeat. Sparks entwined themselves around Jay's arms, as he waited impatiently for his friend to lift himself to safe ground.

They'd spot him any second now. Why had he agreed to this? Oh. That's right. He _hadn't_.

Cole rose. Jay shuddered with relief, instantly releasing his lightning upon the dampened street. Spider-webs of his power crackled and twisted through the town's plaza. The nindroids shuddered with the surge of energy, but they remained standing.

Their focus shifted. One by one, they turned in Jay's direction.

* * *

"I can't believe that stayed in your pocket." Nya stared at the key in Zane's hand, watching as he unlocked the small apartment.

"I do not lose things," Zane said, although if he was honest with himself, he was somewhat surprised too.

With the door unlocked, they stepped inside. The apartment was incredibly underwhelming. There were absolutely no personal belongings. It seemed as if it had been empty for a long, long time. Nya shook her head.

"Not big on decorating?" She said putting her backpack down upon Zane's only table. She began to unpack the things she'd gotten from Harumi's security team. Zane eyed the cables and electronics warily.

"I did not see the point." Zane shrugged.

Nya didn't have a response to that. So she began to work instead. Zane sat close by, watching her. "You believe this will be successful?"

"I don't know. I guess it all depends on whether or not I can figure out how to work with. . . your head." Nya bit her lip. "This could be risky. I'll admit I've never worked with an android as. . . _aware_ as you. I understand if you'd rather go a different route with this."

"No." Zane shook his head. "This is the best way."

"Well, here goes nothing then."

Zane stared forward, sitting up as straight as he could. He could feel Nya's shaking fingers doing something or other to the back of his head. A rush of feelings suddenly overwhelmed him, and his fists tightened. The last time he had been in this very place, he had believed himself to be human. And now cables were being plugged into what should have been his skull.

With a fizzle of darkness, Zane stopped seeing the room around him. He could still feel the chair holding up his body and the floor beneath his feet, but he could see nothing at all. It was an uncomfortable sensation.

Then, his eyes were suddenly overwhelmed by a blinding blue light. His mind felt as if it were being pulled toward something, tugging him away from the room his body sat in. At first, Zane resisted the pull, but in the end it was too tempting _not_ too follow.

He felt a rush of energy. The world exploded into a different array of colors, until settling around him in the shape of a never-ending hall.

 _Can you still hear me, Zane?_

Nya's voice seemed to come from everywhere at once. He looked around, struggling to spot the source of it. But all he could see were doors.

 _Zane?_

"Yes?" Zane said, with a hesitant tone. "Where. . . am I?"

 _You're inside ECHO's database. What does it look like?_

"It is a long hall," Zane said. "There are many doors on either side. It does not look like it ends."

 _Amazing. It's an_ actual _place? I wish I could see it. I didn't think that-_ Zane heard Nya clear her throat. _Sorry. We need to focus. I don't want The Overlord to find you._

"Neither do I."

 _Are the doors labeled?_

Zane turned to look. "Yes, but the label keeps changing. Too fast for me to read."

Nya was silent. Zane listened to her fingers zoom over the keyboard. The labels on the doors around him finally settled.

"They say 'blueprints' now, but there are many. Should I check within them all?"

 _You'd never finish. Borg sure came up with a lot. Maybe if I narrowed it down by date. . ._

The doors around him began to disappear. In the end, only one remained. Zane approached it, ignoring the discomfort that the sudden emptiness brought him. "There is only one door now."

 _Okay. Open it. It should be what we're looking for._

Zane tried. But the doorknob refused to twist. "It's locked."

 _Password. Figures. It'll take forever to narrow it down to the correct answer. I know next to nothing about Borg's personal life._

"Perhaps. . . Pixal, would know?" Zane asked, hope shining in every word. He should be able to see her here, should he not? They _were_ the same, after all. And the overwhelming unfamiliarity of everything wouldn't feel so pressing, with a hand to guide him. "Could we contact her?"

 _Maybe. Probably. But we'd need her ID number. And I have no idea what it is._

"Oh." Zane twisted the doorknob again. Still locked, of course, but he did not know what else to do.

 _Unless. . ._

"Unless?" Zane asked. Instead of receiving a proper response, the world around him darkened. He once again felt himself being tugged away. He went with the flow of it, wondering where, exactly, Nya was sending him to now.

A memory.

Sharp and clear, like the very first time it had occurred.

Pixal stood before him, studying him as intently as he was studying her. Ronin and Wu exited the room in the background, an unimportant detail his mind had captured perfectly. The image of Pixal froze before him. Etched upon her clothes, Zane spotted the number that identified her.

CB-2319

 _Do you see it?_ Zane wanted to ask, but he was as frozen as the memory.

"Got it." Nya said.

Darkness. Another tug. A new area. Zane began to wonder just how many places he could travel to, within his mind. There was so much about him he had yet to learn.

He did not like his destination. There was nothing around him at all. A void of white. The only comfort was the rhythmic sound of Nya's fingers. Bright letters suddenly filled everything around him, spelling out Pixal's ID.

There was a shrill, painful sound. The word _disconnected_ flashed everywhere, until it was all Zane could see.

 _Did anything happen?_ Nya asked.

"It. . . says disconnected," Zane said. The words felt heavy in his mouth. _Disconnected._

They both stood in silence, each painfully aware of the only thing the word could mean. Each stubbornly refusing to accept it.

Had they really expected there to be no consequences for Pixal aiding them?

Nya tried again. And again. Each time, the same sound echoed in Zane's world. Each time, the words plastered themselves around him. He did not protest. Illogical as it was, Zane kept hoping for a different result.

He stared intently at the words before him, willing them to change, completely oblivious to the pulsing shadows reaching forward to meet him.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

"Change of plans."

Harumi paced the grounds as she spoke. The night air was cool against her heated skin, soothing her overzealous energy. "When the other two ask for retrieval, don't get rid of them. Bring them back to the hideout. We'll have a perfect opportunity to wipe them all out together."

She didn't wait for a response. She didn't need to. She knew her word was law.

The others had to return to ECHO. Harumi couldn't have asked for a better turn of events. They would fail, of course. They would be captured. Harumi would make sure of it. Then, _then,_ Garmadon would see how worthless they were. And how valuable _she_ was. Harumi would make him see he did not need anyone else.

She bounced on her toes, the excitement of everything overpowering most of her senses.

Everything in her life had led to this moment. She had no doubt fate would smile upon her. It owed her. For taking far too much from her, far too soon.

Harumi could hardly remember her parents. Could hardly remember the brief moments in her life in which she'd truly felt happy. Safe. _Loved._ The memories teased her with nothing more than hurtful glimpses.

The only concrete memento she owned from them was a battered notebook. Somehow, it had wound up among her things, when she'd been moved from her home to the orphanage. She had clung to it like an anchor.

As a child, most of the notes within it had been beyond her understanding. But she did not need to make sense of the heavy equations, or baffling theories to understand that what had happened to her parents had been no accident.

Both celebrate scientists of ECHO's team, they had stumbled upon a truth they had no business knowing. There was something that didn't quite belong within ECHO's systems. Something that was growing, corrupting everything it came in contact with.

Because of their discovery, someone had wanted them _quiet_.

Harumi had been determined to shed light on her parents' discoveries. Problem was, no one acknowledged her pleas for justice. No one had the time to listen. They all dismissed her as a crazed child, begging for attention.

Well. Not _all_.

"There you are."

Kai's voice made Harumi's heart leap in fright. She kept her body still, unwilling to show she'd been startled. She turned to face him. "Just wanted to check everything was still good in the city."

"And?"

"All good," Harumi said. She hoped it wasn't a lie. She hadn't exactly bothered to ask. "So . . . how do you feel? About the whole losing-your-powers thing?"

"I don't know," Kai admitted, with a sigh. "I mean . . . of course I want to stop this. But- I guess I- I always thought I'd always have them."

"They made you special." Harumi nodded, voice soft with fake understanding.

"Yeah." Kai chuckled, shaking his head. "I always imagined I'd wind up as some sort of super hero. Protecting Ninjago! Kryptarium prison filled to the brim thanks to my skills."

How incredible _arrogant_. Harumi couldn't help but laugh. "Big dreams."

"Dumb, I know."

"No, no. I mean, you _are_ going to save Ninjago. So what if you lose your powers right after? You'll still be a hero."

Kai nodded. Smiled. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

They stood for a while. Harumi was annoyed at the wasted seconds, but she could tell Kai's mind saw it all as comfortable silence. Prematurely shattering the moment would be a mistake. She wanted his trust.

"Well, I guess we'd better get back. You know, before Garmadon and Misako tear each other apart." Kai chuckled. "I mean _wow_. Garmadon sure can hold a grudge."

"Can you blame him?" Harumi hissed, a bit more forcefully than she'd meant to. "I'm not very supportive of abandoning people when they need you the most."

"Fair enough."

* * *

Garmadon stood by a window, looking out into the open night.

If he squinted hard enough, he could pretend to see the lights of Ninjago city. Squinting further still, and he could imagine his son, alone in the cusp of ECHO, with nothing but a demon in his mind to keep him company.

The guilt was becoming nearly overwhelming. It threatened to make him crumble. Garmadon forced himself to straighten instead. There was much he still had to do. Pain or not, he did not yet deserve a break.

Steps moved closer to him. Hesitantly. Garmadon didn't need to turn to know it was Misako.

He searched for her in the reflection of the window. Their eyes met.

Bright green eyes. Just like Lloyd's. It hurt Garmadon to look at them. They held the promise of what could have been. In another world. A loving family? Maybe. Regardless, Garmadon couldn't help but scowl at the thought.

"Where are the other two? I ordered us all some dinner."

"Thoughtful," Garmadon said, with sharpened sarcasm. He turned away from the window, to look directly at Misako. "Kai went to get Harumi. They'll be back."

"Alright." Misako nodded. While making no effort to leave. "There's. . . something else I didn't mention."

Instead of responding, Garmadon merely quirked an eyebrow.

"It's. . . Lloyd. Even if they succeed in purging The Overlord from his mind. . . there's no way to know how his body will react to it. Lloyd's had The Overlord's energy since he was born. Separating them. . . It could be dangerous."

"Wait, wait." Garmadon shook his head, bitterness erased to make way for worry. "What do you mean?"

"He could be hurt. His genetic code could shift. _I don't know_. There's too many outcomes, too many possibilities for me to come up with even a simple hypothesis."

"So what do we do? We can't leave Lloyd as he is. But . . . He can't get hurt. Not after all this. It can't end like _that_."

"There's one thing that could work. We need to keep Lloyd's body stable. We need to help separate him from The Overlord's powers before the attack. Wu told me about the bracelet Borg created, to lock down the other's powers. We could use that. Someone would have to get close enough to Lloyd, but it could make all the difference."

"They destroyed the bracelets when they escaped. There isn't. . ." Garmadon frowned. Jay. Bless the kid's inability to keep it together. "No, there's one. Do you really think it could work?"

"It could."

Good. _Good._ Garmadon nodded to himself. As he did so, a snippet of Misako's statement wandered back into his mind. "Wait. Wu told you? You kept in contact with him?"

"Well . . . yes. He let me know about Lloyd. And about you. And about the city."

"You know who else could have told you about me? _Me._ " Garmadon scowled. "You didn't try to contact me _at all_. Ten years. Ten years of knowing absolutely nothing but the scraps of useless information Wu tried to feed me." He turned his gaze on Misako. "At least he _tried_. At least he showed up.

"Just tell me why you left, Misako. I think I deserve an explanation, at the very least."

"I was scared." Misako looked down. Garmadon wanted to laugh. Scared? _Her?_ She hadn't been the one shoved into Kyrptarium. She hadn't been the one cut off from everything. "I knew your intentions were good concerning ECHO's bombing but. . . It was terrifying, Garmadon. I knew absolutely nothing of your plans. When the chaos erupted, with you at the center of it, I- I didn't know what to think.

"And I could . . . I could _feel_ the thing, the thing inside Lloyd, inside _me_. I knew I had to do something to fix it."

"So you ran away. You know, that's not usually the best way to solve a problem."

"It's thanks to me 'running away' that you have a plan that might give us our son back." Misako's voice rose. As the last word escaped her, she deflated, giving her head a shake. "I'm sorry. I know I made mistakes. I know. I should have apologized years ago. I'm really sorry, Garmadon. I should have been there."

"Look." Garmadon sighed. The anger was still there, but it had ebbed away enough to allow him to speak calmly. "I don't think I can forgive you. Not. . . Truly. Regardless of that, Misako, Lloyd is going to need you. I hope you make the right choice when this is all over. I don't know where I'll wind up. I suppose I'm technically still a criminal. If I'm unable to care for Lloyd, you _need_ to do it for me."

Misako nodded.

"Can you me promise that?"

"Yes." Misako said. "I promise."

* * *

Kai was beyond ready to return to the city.

Over dinner, Misako tuned into Ninjago's news. They'd seen ECHO's new androids. Built with fighting in mind. Kai had no doubt The Overlord had built them in order to hunt him and the others down.

He hoped Nya was safe.

Harumi trotted up to him. Garmadon couldn't be too far behind. Kai bounced on his toes. "Are we ready to go?"

"Yes." Harumi nodded. She seemed curt and tense. Kai couldn't blame her. From this point on, thing could either go very right, or _very_ wrong. "Garmadon is only-"

Harumi's words were interrupted by loud, rushed steps. Kai recognized the figure running toward them as Harumi's driver. His breath has hitched with effort, and it took him a couple of seconds to recover enough to talk.

"There's-. . . Out there. . . Looking- looking for _you_." The man gasped the last word out, his eyes trained on Kai's face. Kai frowned. Okay. So things were leaning more toward very bad.

"For me? Who's looking for me?"

A sudden explosion rattled the building. They all fell back, skidding over the marble floor. Harumi and Kai shot each other a look, before stumbling to a stand.

" _Kai Smith._ " A voice boomed around them. Kai thought it sounded familiar, but through the static, he couldn't be sure. " _The building is surrounded. Come out, and no more force will be necessary._ "

Kai took a step forward, but Harumi tugged him back. "We can sneak out through the back of the school. Drive off before whatever maniac ECHO sent gets his hands on you."

"What?" Kai shook his head. "And what about the school? You want me to let them pick it apart trying to find me?"

"There aren't many people here. They'll be fine."

Kai tugged himself away from Harumi's grip. "No. I'm not leaving. Not without doing something about this."

"Fine. Okay." Harumi shook her head, then with a huff, she nodded. "Okay. Let's deal with them then."

They ran forward together. Smoke and fire enveloped them as they emerged. The parking lot had been completely destroyed, and a couple of buildings seemed to be hanging on by nothing more than stubbornness. It seemed like an unnecessary show of force.

Harumi coughed, and Kai instructed the fire to clear a path. He used the oppressive heat to his advantage, fueling his senses with the fire's reach. "The fire originated from up ahead. ECHO?"

"ECHO." Harumi nodded. "But how did they find us?"

A man walked through the curtain of smoke. "Simple. Garmadon contacted Misako yesterday morning. Calls are easy enough to track."

" _Wu?_ " Kai stepped back. "What did they _do_ to you?"

The person before him looked nothing like the witty old man Kai remembered. The version before him was a fluid mesh between man and machine, with half of Wu's face coated in metal, while the other remained as it should have been. Both completely void of humanity.

He raised an arm, signaling to someone Kai couldn't see. "Halt the attacks on the building. We got who we came for."

Kai took a step back. "Got? I think you're jumping the gun a little."

"Is it only you? Where are the others?"

"Like I'd tell." Kai shook his head. Took another step back, while Wu took one forward. He didn't want to attack. "Harumi, please tell me you brought a secret wave of your goonies to get us out of an unprecedented situation."

"Harumi?" Kai turned, but where Harumi had been there was only smoke. "Where'd you-"

The final word of Kai's sentence was replaced by a strangled cough, as a powerful kick shot him backward. Courtesy of Wu.

Everything spun as he landed. Had The Overlord given Wu metallic limbs as well? It sure felt like it. Kai prayed none of his ribs were broken, but the consistent pain each time he lunged for a breath suggested otherwise.

"It would be easier if you come with me now. You will be defeated in the end."

Kai couldn't tell where Wu's voice was coming from. He surrounded himself in a ring of fire, hoping it would provide protection while he regained his shaken focus.

Shots rang from somewhere in front of him. Distant enough to be unimportant, but alarming nonetheless. Even if he managed to rid himself of Wu, how would he deal with everything else?

"What's going on back there?" Wu's voice. From his left.

Kai turned. The flames formed a path for him as he lunged forward, grasping Wu's shape out of the smoke. A well place punch was all Kai needed to knock the old man out.

 _Wham!_

Kai's knuckles met with more metal than skin. Wu staggered back, stunned, but nowhere near unconscious.

"Okay. So that's out." Kai muttered to himself, jumping back to avoid Wu's next attack. Kai needed to think. Hurting the old man wasn't something he wanted to do, but _not_ hurting him was looking like less and less of an option.

There had to be a clever way to deal with it all at once. Problem was, Kai was definitely not going to think of it while Wu attacked him. Kai couldn't believe someone _that_ old could move _that_ fast.

It wasn't only the speed of Wu's attacks. It was the precise thought behind them. Kai had learned how to fight out of roughened necessity when dealing with grumpy thugs. Wu seemed to have _mastered_ the craft. If they ever managed to fix everything, Kai would have to ask for a lesson or two.

He dodged under a kick. His balance shifted poorly as he did so, causing him to fall back against the pavement. Wu closed in on the advantage. In fearful reflex, Kai lifted his hands, shooting flames forward to form a momentary shield.

Wu stumbled back, unharmed. But at least now there was now a much more comfortable distance between him and Kai.

Keeping him at a distance sounded like a good plan, at least until Kai managed to think of something better. He continued to manipulate the flames around him, keeping Wu close enough to see, but too far to be attacked. It was a dance that was going nowhere.

Wu's movements slowed, until he ultimately stopped. Kai stopped along with him, but kept a comforting wave of flames around his arms. The sleeves had been completely burned off from his shirt, leaving the air around him with the uncomfortable smell of burnt cloth.

"You will tire faster than I." Wu said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You want to bet on that?" Kai replied, trying to sound confident. Problem was, Wu was right. He was getting tired _fast_. Even now, there was a subtle headache struggling to form in the back of his mind. As much as Kai liked to pretend they didn't, he knew his powers had limits.

Wu shook his head. "The Overlord only wants what is truly his to be returned. Nothing more. He will not harm you."

"Somehow I don't believe that." Talking was good. Talking meant he could think. Kai scanned the environment, trying to keep his eyes from making movements that were _too_ obvious.

There didn't seem to be anything he could work with. Broken pavement, upturned cars, and-

Harumi.

She stood atop a truck, one of the heavy-set weapons Kai had seen the new androids carry in her hands. She was carefully aiming it in his direction.

No. Not _his_. Wu. She was going to shoot Wu.

* * *

" _Wu_? What did they do to you?"

Harumi watched the man approach with mild amusement. Wu's features were almost unrecognizable, metal and skin having been meshed together forcefully. On one side of his face, a robotic eye, pulsing with a powerful red glow. The other eye was a weak shade of blue, void of any feeling.

He was _exactly_ as he deserved to be. A puppet to the monster his company had nurtured.

"Halt the attacks on the buildings. We got who we came for."

Harumi's eye shifted to the scenery behind Wu. The smoke covered most of everything, but Harumi could make out the shapes of others. The newly upgraded androids, no doubt. Harumi smirked. These models might be better suited to fighting. But they were still nothing more than cleverly twisted wires.

With Kai and Wu keeping each other distracted, Harumi slinked into the smoke. The painful effect of it was instantaneous. Her eyes burned, swelling with tears she couldn't control. Her throat contracted with each breath, threatening her silent movements with the need to cough.

She suppressed the urge, even when it made everything inside her rattle. She'd put herself through worse.

Wu hadn't brought too many androids. But he _had_ brought an extensive array of weapons. The moment she was spotted, she wouldn't stand a chance.

One of the androids was now close enough to strike. She eyed the gun in its hand. Harumi doubted she could wreck the robots with her bare hands. But with a weapon, well, that was a completely different story.

With a focusing breath, Harumi lunged herself forward, using every bit of her weight against the unsuspecting android. She grasped the weapon in its hand, and with a subconscious growl, snatched it from its grip.

She fired. One shot, straight through the android's eye. The android shuddered and powered down.

The sound caught the attention of the others. Harumi felt time slow, as adrenaline rushed through her. Three androids before her. She could hear two somewhere behind. One to her left, half hidden in the dwindling smoke.

She shot forward first. One. Two. Three. No more than one shot per enemy. They fell before they had done so much as turn in her direction. Harumi then twisted around, scanning the parking lot for the ones she knew were behind.

One was easy to spot. Harumi pulled the trigger, more of a reflex than a conscious decision.

And the other-

Before Harumi could aim, she heard a shot, and felt the burning sensation of a laser bullet graze her arm. She hissed against the pain.

Harumi turned toward the android. It continued to fire in her direction, again and again. She skidded to hide behind the side of a truck. The shots continued to ring, handing her the position of her last two enemies. Harumi tapped her fingers against the gun, heart shuddering as she waited for her chance.

"What's going on back there?" Wu's voice. Not her problem. Not yet.

The bullets ceased, as the guns of both androids began to recharge for another round. Harumi stood, eyes locking onto the android closest to her. With a flex of her finger and a shot of heated energy, the android crumpled forward.

Harumi swiveled her heels to the side, aligning her sights toward the remaining android. In a flash, it joined the rest of its companions.

Shaking with both adrenaline and exhilaration, Harumi allowed herself a smile. She truly _was_ unstoppable.

Kai's voice pulled her out of her rush of victory. They weren't exactly on the clear yet. They still had to get rid of Wu. Something Harumi would be more than glad to do. The old man had been ECHO's supposed backbone when everything had fallen apart.

One of the people who could have stopped everything. One of the people who could have kept her parents alive.

Harumi climbed atop the truck, energy bouncing through her. She could get rid of Wu, and it would all remain under the guise of wanting to keep Kai safe. The universe had gifted her with a perfect opportunity. She was not going to waste it.

"Everyone gets what they deserve." Harumi muttered under her breath, raising the gun to aim.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

"No, no, _no._ " Jay shook his head frantically. "All of you _will_ stay _down_."

With a growl that seemed to be the perfect combination of fear and frustration, he shot a string of lightning forward again. And again.

The water sparkled with electricity, popping and snapping, bits of steam fluttering into the air. Jay's hair stood on end, the static around him growing steadily. Some of the nindroids crumpled with the overload of energy, but others remained, stubborn and way too durable.

"What are you even _made_ of?" Jay hissed.

He needed lightning. _True_ lightning, brewed in the clouds. He'd summoned it so easily before. And now?

Jay's eyes flickered upward. The sky was as clear as ever, making no effort to mold to his desires. He wondered if the bracelet had affected the strength of his powers. It was a possibility. _Figures_ , Jay thought, _Nothing comes without a price._

Maybe he only needed to get himself agitated. Easy enough. After all, he _was_ standing before androids that seemed indestructible. Androids that would drag him and Cole back to ECHO. Where the boogie man from every nightmare ever would be waiting.

Thunder rumbled. The sound, however, was soft and non-threatening. Nothing compared to the power he'd once summoned.

"Jay, watch it!"

Jay's eyes focused back on the ground. A couple of Nindroids had moved out of the over-sized puddle, and were beginning to aim their guns. Both at himself, and at Cole. "You watch it too!"

"Yeah, I never _stopped_ watching it." Cole shouted back in response, using his elevated position to keep tabs on their still-functioning enemies. "Never thought I'd say this, but care to amp it up a little, lightning rod?"

"I'm _trying,_ " Jay hissed, ducking down as a wave of laser bullets shot over his head. And he _was_. But even as he focused, a second part of himself was pressed back. The action felt subconscious, and very much unwanted. What exactly had the bracelet done to him?

When the firing ceased, Jay peeked back over the edge, sending an arch of lightning toward one of the nindroids. The action connected his energy with the robot's. _Overload_ , he instructed , pushing forward with what should have been unnecessary effort. The nindroid sparked, but Jay could feel its systems were still perfectly functional. The moment Jay stopped attacking, it would be just as fine as before.

Jay let go. The nindroid stumbled back. For a moment, Jay managed to hope it would fall.

It didn't. The nindroid straightened itself. Aimed.

A sudden weight caused Jay to fall back. His butt bounced against the roof, sending an uncomfortable sensation up his spine. " _Ow!_ "

"You're welcome," Cole responded, standing over him. "Second time you've nearly gotten shot by those things. Where's your head?"

"I'm-" Jay attempted to respond, but Cole cut him off.

"Never mind. I _do_ have another idea. But everyone in town is going to hate me. And it won't solve the problem. Not exactly."

"Go for it." Jay shrugged. "Not like _I_ have anything to suggest."

Cole offered Jay his hand, but Jay ignored it, opting for staying down. With a shrug, Cole refocused on the nindroids. Jay could hear them growing closer. They were probably surrounding them now. Things were bad. Beyond bad. Yet Jay could do nothing more than give off the occasional spark.

Everything suddenly shook. Jay shifted his attention back to Cole. His friend stood tall, hands out stretched, skin drenched in sweat.

When the shudders stilled, Jay stood. He looked down, assessing the effects of Cole's powers. He gave a low whistle. "Wow. Sure hope whoever lives here won't mind the decoration."

The nindroids surrounded the house still, except now, they were held in place by the ground beneath. It had risen up, wrapping itself around them, rendering them useless for anything other than frustrated wiggles.

Cole turned to Jay, ignoring the angered grunts and threats from the nindroids below. "What happened?"

"What do you mean what happened?" Jay shrugged, balancing on his heels. "We took them down! Great job. Once again, we beat the odds."

"You know what I mean, Jay."

Jay shrugged. "I don't know, okay? I probably wore the bracelet too long. I don't know. Who cares? I mean, it wasn't like the lightning was doing me any favors."

"Sooner or later, we'll have to face The Overlord again." Cole said, his voice suddenly dropping to an unsettling serious tone. Jay took a step back, startled. "We'll all be relaying on each other. You need to figure out what's wrong."

Jay knew a dismissive joke was teetering on the tip of his tongue, so he forced himself to keep his mouth shut. He gave a nod.

Cole's attention flickered to something behind them. He grimaced. "C'mon. Let's find my dad before the people here start ambushing us with questions."

* * *

Zane felt something sharp and cold wrap around his ankle.

He swiveled around, tripping against the grip that held him. His body hit the white void, a subtle electrical jolt shuddering through him.

"Nya. _Nya_." Zane could not do much more than gasp her friend's name. He crawled back as fast as his body allowed, but the distance between him and the growing shadow didn't seem to lessen. Although he had broken away from its grip, Zane could still feel the pressure of it, could imagine it growing, _growing_ , drowning his every thought until-

"Zane!" Nya's scream broke through Zane's fear. "What's going on!? Crap. _Crap._ Can you still hear me? Za-"

Nya's voice fizzled. The echoes of it remained around him, broken and distorted beyond understanding. "Nya?"

 _She can no longer hear you. What are you doing here? Are you so eager to give up control?_

The words were everywhere, just as Nya's had been. Except, this voice was louder. It was _painful_. Zane could feel each syllable pressing against him.

"No." Zane replied, but his voice was nothing. "I won't- I won't let you."

 _I'm afraid it's a bit too late_

The shadows all shot forward at once. Zane shut his eyes, struggling not to panic, struggling to think, all the while knowing it was too late to act.

 _What?_

The sound of the question had not been as oppressive as The Overlord's previous words. Zane risked opening his eyes.

A large shield of ice stood before him, keeping the tendrils of darkness at bay. Zane could see them still, distorted through the frozen wall, struggling to get him. But failing. Zane stared in awe at the product of his power.

He then turned to look down at his hands. What exactly _was_ this place? Zane had not thought using his abilities was a possibility here.

 _This. . . This is_ my _power_. _How did you come across it? You are only a machine._

Zane barely registered the words. His own mind was slowly being overcome by his own questions. The gravity of the situation momentarily faded out of mind, replaced by his need for answers. He looked away from his hands, and up at the darkness.

"What is this place?" Zane asked. "What are _you?_ "

The only response to Zane's question, was a soft but ominous _crack!_ The sound grew, as a rupture in the ice continuously doubled in size. The darkness rammed itself against the newfound weakness, spreading it further still.

Zane took a step back. But the movement was slow, hesitant, as all the unanswered facts continued to weight down upon him. _What am_ I _?_

 _Now is not the proper time to seek answers. You must leave._

The voice was not that of The Overlord. Zane shook his head, looking around wildly. "Pixal?"

White emptiness stared back at him, mocking the hope in his voice.

Behind him, the ice finally shattered.

 _Return. I will hold him._

"Pixal." Zane repeated again, although she was still nowhere to be found. "Return, How? Where are you?"

Once again, his questions went unanswered. Zane's eyes drifted away from the emptiness, and into the growing shadows. There was a creature within, moving forward at a slow pace, as if something were relentlessly pushing it back.

As the creature broke away from the shadows, Zane felt an involuntary shudder of fear jolt through him. The darkness that formed the creature seemed to be in constant motion. Breaking, only to rebuild upon itself. A pair of large purple eyes bulged from its head, and beneath them, a mouth that opened into a terrible void.

The disconcerting image was not, however, the reason for Zane's fear. The true source of it was the devastating pulse of sheer _power_ emanating from the figure. If this is what they were up against. . . Zane was not sure they stood much of a chance.

 _Zane. Please. You must get out of here._

Zane blinked. Yes. Out. But how? Pixal had still not provided an answer. And The Overlord did not look as if he was willing to wait for Zane to properly understand the world he was in.

 _The world he was in._

When he had first arrived here, he had been heavily aware of his physical body. The chair beneath him. Nya's frantic typing. The familiar sounds of life in a busy city. Zane shut his eyes. Willed himself to focus not on the filters his circuit-filled mind had created, but on reality.

"-Zane, Zane, just hold on, don't- I'm almost- _gah!_ " Nya's panicked voice reached his ears.

 _Nya?_ Zane tried to say, but could not. He was half aware of his true body, placidly sitting still. The other half of him, however, could feel a forceful grip tightening around his middle. Zane was tempted to open his eyes. But that would only ground his mind in the wrong place. Zane gritted his teeth, trying to keep the growing panic at bay.

"Oh you're _good_." Zane clung to Nya's voice. "But you're not years-of-hacking-places-you-shouldn't good!"

The feeling of The Overlord's power began to flicker. Zane heard an unintelligible shout of rage, accompanied by the dizzying sensation of being dragged forward against his will.

His senses reconnected all at once, attacking him from every possible angle. Zane toppled forward, falling out of the chair and straight onto the ground. With a gasp, he jumped into a standing position.

"Oh thank every wire in the _universe_." Nya sighed with relief, pulling Zane into a tight embrace. Zane stood still, not quite knowing how to react to the gesture. "What happened? Are you okay?"

"Yes." Zane nodded. "The Overlord found me. He attempted to take over my mind, but-"

"Zane I'm really sorry." Nya interrupted, taking a step back. "I shouldn't have pushed you to do that. It was pointless anyway! The only thing I did was put you in danger. We're no better off than we were before."

"Perhaps if you would allow me to finish?" Zane quirked an eyebrow. Nya mimicked zipping up her lips, then lifted her hands in surrender. "This was not pointless. Pixal was _there_. I did not see her, but she held The Overlord back. She allowed me to escape."

"Really?" Nya's smile widened. "She must have-. . . I don't know. I'm glad she's . . . okay. Sort of. But. . . you _saw_ The Overlord? Not. . . Lloyd?"

"No, not Lloyd."

"What do you think would happen if-"

A thundering sound of heavy steps trotting up the stairs interrupted Nya's thoughts. They exchanged a glance, before turning toward the door. Nya shoved her borrowed equipment into her backpack, not bothering with being careful. "Sounds like that's our cue to get out of here. They must have traced your connection."

Zane nodded. His eyes scanned their surroundings in less than a second, a plan formulating in his mind. With a pulse of his power, he shut the door frozen, then nodded toward the window. "That opens to an alley. It will allow us to escape unseen. Unless they have surrounded the building."

"Great idea." Nya said, with heavy sarcasm. She stood peeking out of the window, looking at the ground below. "I don't know if you know this Zane, but when people jump out of the fourth floor they don't recover particularly well."

"I am aware, yes. I did not say we would be jumping." Zane approached the window, sliding it open with a bit of a struggle.

Behind them, the door shuddered, as the androids behind it fought to get inside. The ice around the door cracked, but held. Nya turned back toward Zane, knowing they did not have much time. "Well, what's the plan?"

Instead of giving Nya an answer, Zane lifted his hands, creating a thick slide of ice. It would allow them to reach the alley safely. In theory. Zane truly hoped it would not break. The time for hesitation was now long past due, however. The door behind them began to cave in.

"You built it, you try it?" Nya said softly, looking at the rickety slide with distrust.

Zane gave a quick nod, hopping out of the window and onto the ice. Nya hesitated on the ledge, wanting to see Zane land safely. The door burst inwards, shards of ice skittering across the floor to nudge her feet.

"Oh, well." Nya forced her heart to stay safely guarded in her chest, before leaping out of the apartment with an involuntary scream.

* * *

Cole guided them forward, both eager and hesitant to reach his father's house.

He could hear Jay shuffling behind, muttering unintelligible things under his breath. It couldn't have been more obvious that something was troubling him. Why hadn't he been able to take the androids down? Cole had seen what Jay could do. It should have been easy.

As much as he wanted to press Jay for answers, he knew his friend could be incredibly stubborn when he wanted to be. He'd weave the conversation with annoyingly unnecessary comments and jokes, until the initial purpose of Cole's questions was forgotten. It would be better to give him space. Cole only hoped Jay remembered he didn't have to deal with things alone.

Besides, it wasn't as if Cole didn't have his fair share of things to worry about. At long last, he stopped before one of the town's houses. He knocked with frantic movements, hoping to slide inside before they could attract a crowd.

Cole heard his father's familiar voice behind the door, loudly complaining about the violent knocking. Cole felt his body tense as his mind raved with questioning thoughts. _What should I say? What should I do? What will he think?_

"-Truly do _not_ see the need to be so dramatic!" His father's rant ended as he opened the door, eyes locking against those of his son. "Oh. Cole."

 _Oh?_ Oh _!?_ Cole hadn't really expected anything. He had been too nervous to give the present situation much thought. But _Oh?_

Before Cole could open his mouth to respond, his father's eyes glided over to Jay. The dumbfounded expression twisted instantly, merging into a combination of annoyance and fear. "You! You were in the news! Cole do you _know_ what he's done? Broke Garmadon out of Kryptarium, that's what! What exactly are you doing with-"

" _Great_ idea, dad, talking inside _does_ sound perfect." Cole hissed, side-stepping his father as he pulled Jay into the house. Jay tripped forward as he struggled to keep up.

Behind them, Cole heard his dad shut the door. He joined them in the living room soon after. "Well? Explanations? Are you going to tell me you're involved in this mess?"

Cole crossed his arms, his face growing into an annoyed scowl. "How about, 'oh, hey, nice to see you're okay'?"

"Well, of _course_ I'm glad to see you back here, but how am I supposed to focus on that when you're running around with a wanted criminal?"

"Jay isn't a criminal. And neither is Garmadon for that matter. Things are more complicated than that. But I didn't come to talk about them. I came to. . ." Cole's voice faded. How was he supposed to put his thoughts to words? _I came to sort of say good-bye since, you know, I died. Long story. Irrelevant, really._ ". . . Just to apologize. For running off like I did."

"Ah." His father responded. As Cole's eyes glided over the man's features, the memories of his childhood tumbled forward. Memories of his father, and of who he was. Memories of the strained relationship they had always carried.

"I'm- I think I'm going to, uh, step outside for a bit." Jay mumbled taking a step back from the growing tension. "Promise I won't cause trouble. I'll just . . . give you guys a moment."

Half of Cole knew they needed to stay together. But the other half kept him still, thoughts rolling and twisting as he searched for the words he wanted to say. Jay slipped out, and Cole shook his head, chest constricting against his heart. "I'm not staying long. I just came because it felt right. But maybe I shouldn't have. You clearly don't have anything to say to me."

They both fell into a terribly uncomfortable silence.

Cole struggled to search for something to say. For the _right_ thing to say, the words that would make this trip feel like it had been worth it. Words that would untangle the thoughts that were steadily suffocating him, as the possibility of losing everything again loomed over him.

His mind wandered. To his past. The past that had been stolen away, and now, roughly shoved back in place. His father, strict and distant, controlling and overbearing. Always criticizing his missteps, and never acknowledging his successes. As if they were expected. As if there was nothing special about doing things right.

Maybe there _were_ no right words. Maybe Cole had only come chasing a broken illusion. Maybe there was nothing he could get from his father at all.

"Well," Cole ultimately sighed, trying to focus more on the tasks ahead than on the overbearing disappointment. "It was good to. . . to see you're okay. I'll- I'll just go."

Cole walked past his father.

"Wait."

Cole froze. He willed himself not to hope for anything more than an aloof suggestion.

"Nothing I say will make you stay, will it?"

"No?" Cole turned back, looking at his father with a questioning glance. Lou Brookstone stood in a terribly strict pose, as if every inch of him had very severe guidelines on how to hold itself. The complete opposite of Cole's usually relaxed and careless stance.

"I know Garmadon is innocent." His father said through half-gritted teeth. He shook his head, as if he couldn't believe the words he was speaking. "I don't know how much you've managed to figure out but . . . He's the only reason I have you with me. Yet, he's _still_ dangerous, Cole. As is that other boy you brought with you. And everything else you're wrapped up in.

"You're only a kid. You need to understand that this is something _big_. Dangerous. What do you think you will be able to accomplish? I know with your abilities make things may seem possible but-"

"I can do more than you give me credit for." Cole interrupted, shaking his head. "Bye, dad."

"No, no. That's not- I'm sorry, Cole. That isn't what I wanted to say at all. I only worry and- well, perhaps my way of caring for you hasn't exactly been the proper route. I wanted you safe. But of course, the tighter I held on, the stronger you became." Lou shook his head. "Until you were finally strong enough to leave me behind."

Cole waited.

"I'm-" His father shook his head. "I _am_ incredibly proud of you, alright? And. . . I know you will do what you set your mind to. If not out of skill, then out of sheer stubbornness to prove that you _can_."

Cole half-smiled. His father stepped forward. After a couple of seconds of not knowing how to proceed, he gave Cole's shoulder a brief squeeze. "I still don't think you should do this. But this is your life, and I, well, I do have a difficult time remembering that fact. Only. . . stay safe. That's all I ask."

"I-"Cole's eyes diverted away from his father's. "I will."

"Well, then. Go save Ninjago. It surely won't save itself."


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

"Harumi, don't!"

Kai lifted his arms, lifting a wall of fire in between Wu and Harumi. Wu twisted around, and Kai heard Harumi curse over the roar of the flames. With another flick of his hands, He extinguished them. "Are you insane? We aren't going to _kill_ him."

"I'm trying to get us out of this!" Harumi hissed in response. It was then that Kai realized the parking lot was littered with something else. The bodies of the upgraded androids laid here and there. Broken and unmoving.

Kai frowned back toward Harumi. Just who the hell _was_ she?

A direct punch from Wu's fist shot him back, forcing him to focus once again on the battle before him. He slammed back against a truck. Shrill ringing echoed in his ears. His head swam out of focus.

The flames still clinging to his arms softened the metal beneath him, causing it to mold to the weight of his body. Kai quickly peeled himself away, shuddering at the sensation.

Wu's fist flashed before Kai's eyes, and he dropped to the ground, barely escaping another blow. Wu's arm half sunk into the heated metal. An idea sparked in Kai's mind, but before he could properly act on it, Wu was free.

Kai turned, running to distance himself from Wu as much as possible. His eyes searched his surroundings, trying to spot Harumi within the smoke. She was nowhere to be found. _Again_.

 _Great. So I have to find a way to stop Wu from destroying me, while_ also _stopping Harumi from destroying_ him. _Anything else someone wants to add to the mix?_ Kai thought, huffing with exasperation. _I need a plan._

Trapping Wu in metal was good. It was something. But Wu had not had any problem with breaking free. If Kai could find a way to cool it quickly enough. . . But how? If Nya were here, she'd probably have more than one idea to offer.

 _If Nya were here, she would have already found a way to shut Wu down._ An unwelcome voice muttered in his head. _Who came up with the idea to use mist to hide the trips to Kryptarium? Who kept you all from being captured? Who friended ECHO's android?_

 _And what have you done, Kai? How exactly have you contributed to anything?_

Mind unfocused and eyes half burning due to the smoke, Kai wound up running straight into a half-hidden car. He bounced back, skidding over the pavement.

"Enough running, Kai. There is nowhere you can go that I will not follow. You are not enough to stand against The Overlord's power."

Kai turned away from Wu's voice. He stumbled as he stood, legs weak beneath him. He leaned against the car before him for support. And to put into action a plan that was sure to do nothing more than fail.

"Worth a shot?" Kai questioned himself. Flames to crawled up from both of his wrists, moving up to his shoulders. Ultimately, they coated every inch of his back. "Well come and get me then, if you're so sure you can!"

Wu approached him slowly. He stopped a few feet away, studying the flames around Kai. "You truly plan on harming me with that?"

Kai shrugged. _Come_ on _!_

"The bracelets would have been useful. But there are other ways to make sure you do not use your powers."

"Try it."

Wu leaped forward. The movement was almost too fast for Kai's eyes to catch. Almost. At the last moment, Kai ducked, ridding himself of the fire around his body. Once more, Wu's arm sunk into the half melted metal. Instead of hesitating as he had before, Kai pressed his hand against the car.

His skin remained unharmed by the heat. He focused on diverting it out of the metal, and _into_ himself. The heat obeyed, allowing Kai to absorb it. It burned his arm from within, a sensation that was both terrible and unfamiliar. With gritted teeth, he forced himself to keep still.

Kai hadn't been confident it would work. Fire _caused_ heat, but there had been nothing to say he would be able to directly manipulate it too. But it _was_ working.

It _had_ worked.

Wu stood, his metal arm meshed into the cooled metal of the car. He grunted in exasperation, struggling to break free. Each attempt ended only in failure. The old man's body might have been upgraded, but his strength still had limits.

Kai gaped at the sight, a smile curling his lips. Victorious laughter shuddered through him. "It worked! I did it! _Ha!_ "

As he beamed, Wu used his free hand to lash out. Kai yelped and crawled back, moving out of reach before his celebration could be cut short. Wu narrowed his eyes. "The Overlord is much more powerful than you believe. You will never defeat him."

Kai ignored Wu's words, turning instead to the sound of footsteps rushing toward him. Garmadon broke through the curtain of smoke, followed closely by Harumi. Kai smiled at them both, proudly presenting Wu's trapped body. "Don't worry guys. I have it all under control."

"Wu?" Garmadon frowned, studying his brother's features. "This thing is getting out of hand. We need to get back to Ninjago City as soon as possible."

"That might be a problem." Harumi said, pulling her hair back into a loose bun. Her eyes shifted over the parking lot. Most of the flames had died out, and as the smoke continued to disperse, the damage became obvious. "Doesn't look like any of the cars made it."

Garmadon cursed under his breath, running a hand through his grayed hair. He turned back toward the school. "Now what?"

"I could call someone," Harumi suggested quickly. Kai studied her expression. She seemed to be mirroring Garmadon's feelings of distress. Multiplying them, even. "It won't be a problem. They'll be here soon. You know you can rely on us."

"That's the best we can hope for." Garmadon said, oblivious to Harumi's heightened emotions. "And I suppose we'll need to do something about my brother. Maybe Misako can figure something out. I don't know. I kind of don't care. We really need to get to Lloyd."

Garmadon turned away, heading back across the parking lot and toward the university's main building. Harumi followed behind. After giving Wu one final look, Kai trotted after them.

The few students and professors that still remained all gawked at the destruction, muttering among themselves with fearful whispers. One figure stood out to Kai. It struck him as terribly familiar.

In front of him, Garmadon had the same thought. And actually recalled the name that went with the face. " _Ronin?_ "

Ronin twitched at the sound of his name. His eyes spotted the tired and mismatched trio. Then, he turned in the opposite direction, moving away from them with a determined pace.

Garmadon rolled his eyes, trotting forward to stop him. "Ronin, I know it's you."

For a second, it seemed as if Ronin would continue to walk off in stubborn denial. But in the end, he turned with an annoyed sigh. "Ah. Garmadon. Hello. And the little fire boy. And. . . some random girl. Funny running into you. I was just on my way to, the opposite of wherever you three are headed."

"If you're here, R.E.X. can't be far behind." Garmadon said. "We need a favor."

"Don't really do those." Ronin shook his head slowly and with flair, crossing his arms over his chest. " _Most_ of all if they involve getting anywhere near the city. It's chaos."

"And _this_ isn't?" Garmadon nodded to the disaster around them.

Ronin pretended to study it for a moment, before responding with an uncaring shrug.

"You know things will just get worse, Ronin." Garmadon said. "If you help us get back to the city, we'll be able to end this sooner."

"Well. . ."

Kai watched as Harumi rolled her eyes. She stepped forward, standing between Garmadon and Ronin. "I can pay you. Just name your price."

" _Now_ you're speaking my language."

* * *

Jay shut the door behind him, then leaned against it, slowly sliding to the ground.

He pulled the bracelet from his pocket. Instead of slipping it on, he twirled it around his fingers, thinking. Could it really be possible, for it to have somehow dampened his powers?

 _No._ The response was clear and curt. _Nya wore it for far longer than any of us. And she was able to use her powers just fine._

His memory flickered back to ECHO. To Nya. To the terrifying water she had been able to summon from thin air. Jay made a small spark with his fingers. The prickling sensation of electricity probed the memory of their escape further.

Jay felt and saw his own power arc toward Lloyd's body. Saw Lloyd's body fly back through the air, landing roughly against the soaked hallway. Like before, Jay flinched, guilt washing over him.

"So you can hurt a kid, but you can't rid yourself of actual threats." Jay hissed at himself. "You're pathetic Jay. Pa-thet-ic."

He watched the spark in his fingers, willing it to grow. It did so slowly, trembling with hesitation. Jay felt the same feeling as before. The pressing sensation that held him back from using his full strength.

Once again, he thought to blame the bracelet. But the feeling from _that_ had always been an outside force. Something clearly apart from himself. The feeling now was coming from within.

"What's lightning good for, anyway?" Jay shook his head, tugging the electricity back inside his body. His mind flashed to Kryptarium. To all the destruction _he_ had cause, because he couldn't keep it together.

With a sigh, he turned his head. He could see the edge of Birchwood forest through the street. The sight of the pale trees made the suffocating sensation inside him double.

 _"Hey, are you alright? You look-"_

Jay cringed at the sound of Cole's voice in his head. He knew exactly when those words had been uttered. He turned away from the forest quickly, trying his best to focus on the unpaved street. _Not that. Please. I don't want to remember that._

With the help of the bracelet, Jay's mind had steadily recovered the jumbled pieces of his memory that had once been scattered beyond repair. Although his thoughts would still slip away from him every so often, it was not nearly as chaotic as it had once been.

Jay had been happy about it. But now. . .

 _"Just go!"_

Jay heard himself shout. Could almost feel the words slipping from his shaking throat.

He could _see_ Cole. There was no fear in his eyes. Only concern. Concern for a stranger. Concern Jay hadn't been worthy of.

Jay could feel the pressing emotions of the moments roiling around within him. But there was no outward manifestation of his abilities. The lightning brewed inside him, pressed down by Jay's own mind.

Literally _anyone_ else would have been a better candidate for the wild element. Nya, Kai, Zane, Cole, they would have tamed it. Made it their own. Helped, instead of exploding at every minor inconvenience. Grown stronger, instead of taking every shortcut available.

The door opened, jolting Jay out of his small pity party. He stumbled to stand, searching for the most prominent emotion in Cole's eyes. "How'd it go?"

"It was good." Cole nodded with a bright smile. Jay did his best to mimic it. "I mean. . . I didn't tell him about, well, you know. But I think- I mean, I'm glad I came. It was a good idea. Now, let's hope the others didn't miss us too much."

"With any luck, they'll have already fixed everything." Jay said. "And we'll slide in right on time for the celebration."

"I _wish_." Cole said. He slipped the small device Harumi had given them out of his pocket, toying with the button that would request their return trip. "Before we go though. . ."

"Got someone else you want to say something too?"

"Yeah. You."

"Silly Cole." Jay gave a soft laugh. "I'm coming with you, remember? Tsk."

"Are you sure you don't want to talk about. . . whatever's going on?"

"I told you. It's the bracelet. I just need some time to-" Jay bit his lip. He looked away from Cole, and back toward the forest. "I don't know. Maybe it's better like this. I've never exactly been good at staying in control. I'm literally the worst person they could have given this dumb ability to.

"I hurt you. I hurt. . . who knows how many people in Kryptarium. I nearly killed us all, when I figured out you'd been left behind. I hurt the _kid_. What's next? Chances are I'll just ruin everything."

Cole frowned. He followed Jay's line of sight. The trees of Birchwood forest stared back at him, neutral and unfeeling. "Do you remember?"

"Remember what?" Jay said, pretending to be clueless. He turned back to Cole.

 _"Hey, it's okay. I- I have weird powers too._ "

Jay looked away again.

"You know what I mean."

"Maybe. It doesn't matter. What matters is I'm not exactly an asset to the team."

"You need to give yourself more credit."

"Name _one_ thing I've done right. One." Jay said. "Oh! I know. How about Garmadon's rescue? Oh no. Wait. If it hadn't had been for _you_ I wouldn't have done anything right. I broke the lock on his cell. I panicked. I got us out of Kryptarium? Wrong again! That was Nya. If it hadn't had been for her, I would have ruined everything. Did I help with getting out of ECHO? Again, No! I let myself be captured by Ronin. I clung to the bracelet like the child I am. I haven't done anything to help this team at _all._ "

Jay leaned back against the wall, suddenly exhausted. Cole waited.

"Did I accomplish anything against those stupid nindroids? No."

"Nindroids?"

"You know," Jay shrugged, making a halfhearted motion with his hand. "Ninja Androids. Nindroids."

"Oh. Clever. Can that count as something you've done right?"

"Not funny. I'm serious" Jay grumbled. "I ruin everything. For everyone. For _you._ And I have no way to fix anything. We're going to defeat the stupid Overlord, and you'll-. . . And I can't do anything about it."

"You didn't ruin anything for me, Jay." Cole said. "And if anyone _can_ figure out a way to fix everything all at once, it's definitely you. You're the smartest person I know."

"That would be a great compliment if you actually _knew_ anyone."

"Fair enough." Cole chuckled. "My point is though, the team _does_ need you. You have great ideas. And _I_ need you. You're my best friend. I know for a fact _that_ counts for a lot. You surely didn't have to stick with a grumpy ghost, and you did anyway.

"We rely on each other, you know?"

"I guess."

"We _do._ And I know you think your abilities are more destructive than anything else. But that's not true. How many things have you built using your powers? How many things have you fixed? You're focusing on all the wrong things." Cole took the bracelet from Jay's hands. "And you definitely don't need this."

Jay studied the device. He could feel a delicate current looping around it, keeping it functional. He reached for it, taking it back. "Maybe not."

He ran his fingers over the metal. Cole was right. He was focusing on the wrong things. Lightning, electricity . . . they were both just as _constructive_ as they were the opposite. They could tear things apart. But they could bring them together. He looked at Cole, the beginning of an idea taking root in his mind.

"I can't _promise_ anything. But I'll . . . I'll try. To trust my abilities. Myself. _And_ if things fall apart, I get to blame you and your terrible advice."

"I'll take my chances."

* * *

"What I'm _wondering_ is," Nya said. "What if we defeated The Overlord _inside_ the. . . cyber world, or whatever we want to call it?"

She sat across from Zane, in one of the beds of the room Harumi had given them. The building itself was half deserted, with a group of Harumi's goons gone off to bring Jay and Cole back, and the other half busy with things Zane and Nya hadn't been clued into.

Zane thought about the question. "It could purge Lloyd's body from its power. Since we would be attacking _it_ directly. At the very least, it would free Ninjago's systems from its presence. But. . . Am I supposed to be capable of defeating it on my own? You are giving me far too much credit."

"Maybe Pixal could help?" Nya suggested. Shook her head. "Even then. . . We'd need all of us, wouldn't we?"

"Even then. It could be risky." Zane said. "I did not get too close to him, but I could feel the pressure of his strength."

"Assuming it was possible, how would we be able to _send_ ourselves into the cyber world?" Nya bit her lip. She hoped Jay would get here soon. Between the two of them, they would no doubt come up with _something_. "It can't be impossible. But let's hope Kai and Garmadon really did find a solution."

"Well, we should go ask."

"Huh?"

"They are here." Zane stood, eyeing the door. "It seems Ronin gave them a ride. Surprising."

"You can _hear_ that? How good is your hearing? Man, I'd love to get a look at your blueprints. You're amazing."

"No. I am only myself. My _father_ was amazing." Zane said. Nya gave him a smile.

"He was certainly brilliant. He would have probably fixed everything already."

Zane nodded. "Garmadon said something of the sort."

Seconds later, Nya herself heard the footsteps. She heard Harumi's voice through the shut door. "I'll go check in on everything. You tell the others about the plan. We should move as soon as possible, before The Overlord has any chance to connect with Wu."

 _Wu?_ Nya frowned.

"With any luck, Misako will keep him from doing much." Garmadon replied.

The door opened. Kai and Garmadon walked inside. Kai's shirt was a tattered and burnt mess, and they were both filled with soot. Nya coughed at the acrid smell of smoke coming off from them. "I thought you were going to find a way to fix Lloyd, not go around lighting yourself on fire."

"For your information." Kai beamed. "I saved the day. You could talk with a little more respect."

"Yeah. Fat chance."

"What did you find?" Zane asked.

Garmadon slipped a folded up paper from his pocket, tossing it toward Zane. "Misako believes these weapons should be able to destroy The Overlord. The problem will be building them. The tools we'll need are _in_ ECHO. . . so you will all have to sneak back inside."

"Oh." Zane studied the blueprints. He could easily identify each of the materials it required, but putting them together would be a different story. He handed the paper over to Nya.

She studied them with a bit more knowledge, but she couldn't fully understand how certain parts would work. "Getting them to produce the _right_ effect is going to be hard. The margin for error is pretty slim. And we're supposed to build these while in ECHO?"

"I thought Jay could build them. He's fast _and_ tech-savvy." Kai said. "The _real_ problem will be knowing _where_ to use them. Misako said we had to find the exact device The Overlord's power originates from. That could be anything."

"That. . . won't be a problem. It should be in my father's old office." Garmadon said, with a tone of fake nonchalance. "An old computer, probably the _only_ old thing still in ECHO. Wu kept it for sentimental reasons. I suppose that came in handy."

"And. . . you know this because?" Kai raised an eyebrow.

"I made mistakes of my own, in the past." Garmadon said. "What matters now, is that we make things right."

"No, no." Kai shook his head. "What matters is that you _elaborate._ "

"I need to talk to Jay. Have they returned yet?"

"No." Nya said. "But they'll be back soon."

"Alright. Until then." Before anyone could protest, Garmadon slipped out of the door, his hurried footsteps echoing through the hall.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

The Overlord hated Lloyd's body.

It was weak. It was the furthest thing from intimidating. And it was so incredibly _small._ This was a fact that was becoming increasingly obvious, as all those that worked beneath him perpetually loomed _above_ him.

As he sat in Wu's old office, this fact rumbled around The Overlord's mind, dwarfed as he was by the chair he was sitting on. He needed his old body back. And he needed it back quickly, before insanity finally drowned him.

Fate seemed to be favoring him, at the very least. If things continued as such, he would be back to himself before the day came to an end.

He used the shadows around him to roll the chair forward, closer to the screen of the small laptop before him. A girl he did not know and did not care to know stared back at him, eyes shining with feelings The Overlord rather enjoyed. "All of them? Here? And why should I believe you?"

"You don't have to." The girl responded, with an uncaring shrug. "I just thought to pass the information to you. You can do with it what you will."

The call disconnected. The Overlord stared at Lloyd's face in the reflection for a moment. Wide eyes. Pouting lips. Dumb, poorly cut hair sprinkled atop his head.

 _Yeah, well._ Lloyd's voice said within him. _You try cutting your own hair. You know, before you make fun of mine. Wait. Do you even_ have _hair?_

The Overlord ignored Lloyd, as usual. The kid never had anything worth responding to.

He walked ECHO's halls, inwardly cursing the slow pace Lloyd's small legs kept him in. The Overlord reached the elevator, using the darkness to press the appropriate button. He firmly refused to stand on the tips of his toes to try and reach.

ECHO's labs were lively. Androids ran to and fro, frantically trying to keep up with the production of the The Overlord's new army. They shrank away from him as he walked past.

He found Borg where Borg always was, hiding behind notes and trinkets, trying to keep himself blind to the chaos Ninjago was falling into. "Borg. Make sure the extraction capsules are ready for tonight."

"O-oh?" Borg looked up, pushing his glasses up into place. He looked shaky and nervous. Afraid. "They're-. . . you captured them? The kids?"

"I will. So have it _ready_."

"Yes. Yes, of course." Borg nodded. "They've been ready since- well, I will make sure everything is still in top shape."

"Good." The Overlord nodded. Excitement pumped through him at the thought of ridding himself of Lloyd at last. He repressed the ridiculous urge to bounce on his toes.

Things would soon be as they should be.

* * *

"Where _did_ you guys go?"

That, and many other variations of the same question, bombarded Cole and Jay when they finally returned to Harumi's hideout. Cole waited for the questions to die down before answering. "I wanted to see my dad. You know, in case we defeat The Overlord and I wind up being a ghost again."

"Oh." Nya frowned. The atmosphere in the room shifted. No one had a good response to Cole's statement.

"What happened on this end though?" Cole asked, eager to move the attention away from himself. "Do we have a way to stop The Overlord?"

"Hopefully." Kai reached for a mesh of folded papers, tossing them over to Jay. He fumbled to catch them. "Those are blueprints for some sort of. . . weapon? It's supposed to channel our powers into ECHO's system, and use them to destroy The Overlord."

Jay looked over the blueprints, eyes running fast over the numbers and equations. "Wow. This is. . . amazing. If we can pull this off-. . . we won't even have to _fight_. I mean. We'd still have to get inside ECHO sure but- . . . wait. How are we supposed to _build_ these? The tools-"

"Are probably only in ECHO's labs. Yeah." Nya finished for him. "So we'll have to sneak in. Build it. Destroy The Overlord."

"Sneak in and _build_ -" Jay shook his head, then laughed. "This is a joke right? We're not- We're not really going to build these things while in the very last place we should be?"

"Not a joke." Kai said. "Can you build them?"

"I mean, _yeah_ but under that much pressure? I don't know." Jay glanced down at the prints again. "This is impossible."

"It is our best solution." Zane said. "A battle _with_ The Overlord would not be won easily. And we might harm Lloyd, if we attempted it. If we use this. . ."

"Everyone's happy. Yeah, I get it." Jay sighed. "But what if it doesn't save Lloyd? What if The Overlord's power still clings to the kid? And then in a few years we have the same problem all over again?"

"One problem at a time, Jay." Cole said. "When are we doing all this?"

"Tomorrow night. Harumi's already scouting for a way to get us in. She'll set up backup around ECHO too, in case things don't go smoothly." Kai said. He bit his lip. "Also. . . Misako said when we destroy him. . . we'll most likely be destroying our own powers too."

A silence washed over the room. Kai kept his eyes lowered, waiting for everyone's reactions to hit. Jay was the first to speak. A small _Oh_.

Then, his sister. " _What?_ "

"Yeah."

"But-" Nya shook her head, hands balling into fists. Kai watched her, recognizing her angered and hurt expression. It mirrored his own feelings. "They're _our_ powers."

"Well, technically-" Jay started, but quickly shut his mouth as Nya turned to give him a glare.

"Don't technically me." Nya hissed, then sighed, letting the anger slump away from her shoulders. "I don't know. I guess I sort of pictured, after all this, we would have our abilities and we'd. . ."

"Protect Ninjago?" Cole suggested. "Yeah. Me too."

"We will still be able to make a difference, even without our powers. People do so every day." Zane pointed out. "I think saving Ninjago is worth giving them up."

"Of course it's worth it." Nya said. "It just feels unfair."

"I know." Kai agreed. "We'll just have to make sure Ninjago never forgets our heroic sacrifice. I want a comic book written about us."

"Just a comic book?" Jay quirked an eyebrow. "Might as well demand to be on the big screen. The Elemental Masters! Coming to theaters near you."

Jay laughed at his own words. Nya and Cole chuckled along with him, while Zane only gave an amused smile.

Kai's eyes stared into nothing. He pictured the image Jay had painted. It made him feel giddy and excited. Nya shoved him none too gently, bringing him back to the present. "Before you get too far into that daydream, we have to actually _defeat_ The Overlord."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Kai turned away from her, facing Cole and Jay instead. "Now, back to important matters, I need to tell you how I _single-handedly_ defeated this little group of androids The Overlord sent after us. Led by none other than Wu."

"Single handedly?" Nya asked. "I thought Harumi-"

Kai pressed his hand against her mouth. "So, there we were, about to head back into the city. . ."

* * *

Garmadon's head felt heavy with regret.

What would everything have been like, if he hadn't freed The Overlord in a wave of petty resentment? Would Lloyd, Misako and himself be a normal family? Living in the city, driving Lloyd to school, enjoying holidays together. . . The images of what could have been clawed at his heart. He leaned back against his chair, a sigh rippling through his body.

Before him, the monitors displaying every one of ECHO's corners. He simply couldn't tear himself away. The glimpses of Lloyd the cameras provided were the only things that kept him tethered to sanity.

"Oh! You're awake."

Garmadon turned his head with a sharp movement. Harumi walked inside, somehow managing to look both sheepish and commanding. "Harumi. I hope I'm not in the way. I only wanted to see how things were going in ECHO."

"Anything worth mentioning?" Harumi asked.

"Not really." Garmadon shook his head. "Oh. Did Jay and Cole return last night? I was planning on waiting, but I wound up falling asleep."

Harumi nodded. "Yes. They're here."

"Okay." Garmadon stood. "Thanks."

With one last longing look at the cameras, Garmadon stepped out into the hall. He headed toward the stairs, his mind still more focused on Lloyd than anything else. The words he'd said to Misako returned to him, the full weight of them truly settling onto his shoulders.

 _I don't know where I'll wind up. I suppose I'm technically still a criminal. If I'm unable to care for Lloyd, you_ need _to do it for me._

What if, after all this, he truly did end back in Kryptarium? Should he accept it? Watch Lloyd grow from afar? Or should he run? He had no doubt Harumi would have ways to shield him from the reach of the law. But would that be any better? He still wouldn't be able to take part in Lloyd's life. Not truly.

The only endings he could see for himself were bleak.

With his head down, and his mind roaming, Garmadon ran straight into Jay. The kid had been heading up the stairs, clearly just as blinded by his thoughts. Jay gave a yelp, stumbling back a couple of steps. "Ah! Sorry! I was- thinking."

"Jay." Garmadon blinked himself back into focus. "I was actually looking for you."

"Me?" Jay asked, both confused and amazed. "Why me?"

"The bracelet. Do you still have it?"

"Oh." Jay frowned, clearly disappointed. "Yeah. I do. Not wearing it for now. Turns out absolute distrust in yourself works way better than technology. Heh. I mean, why do you ask?"

"Misako mentioned that . . . when we destroy The Overlord, it could hurting Lloyd." Garmadon spoke the words with a straight tone, but they burned against his throat. Jay eyes shifted, a light frown creasing his eyes. "The bracelet will hopefully pretend anything from happening. Misako said it will keep him stable."

Jay nodded slowly, slipping the bracelet from his pocket. "So. . . you want us to try and. . . put it on him before we attack? But then, then he'd know we're there. And he'd stop us, easy. I don't know how we can-"

Garmadon held out his hand. "I'll do it. Once you're ready to end it, I'll figure out a way. Which will also keep The Overlord distracted, giving you all more time."

"That sounds like a very convoluted plan." Jay said, keeping his hold on the bracelet. "I mean . . . are you going to just _walk_ into ECHO? Sneak in with us and wait? Sneaking _five_ people in sounded difficult enough. But six? It doesn't-"

" _I know_." Garmadon hissed, a bit more loudly than he had meant to do. He shut his eyes, massaging his forehead. "I know. I don't know what I'm going to do. I just know that-. . . I can't let Lloyd get hurt. Just- Just let _me_ worry about that part. I'm sure I can figure something out."

Jay opened and shut his mouth a couple of times. Garmadon wondered what sort of words he was failing to grasp. At last, he spoke. "Sorry. I didn't mean to be, overly negative. I'm just very nervous."

"So. . . the bracelet?"

"Yes." Jay said. "I was actually going to find Harumi, ask if she had any sort of. . . lab, or tools or. . . something. So I can try to make a little headway on the weapons. There are a couple of components that are simple enough for me to make here. It'll save time."

"Don't really see how this is related."

"I was getting there!" Jay protested, moving the bracelet back into his pocket. Garmadon frowned, following his movements. "I just need the bracelet as a. . . Sort of, model. For certain parts. So, I'll need it. I need it. For now. But I'll let you have it before we go."

Garmadon frowned. "Well. . ."

"Don't worry! I'll make sure to leave it in working condition!" Jay shuffled up past Garmadon slowly. "Harumi's up here right? I'll- Yes. See you!"

With that, Jay ran up, jetting out of Garmadon's sight.

* * *

Cole was anxious.

Anxious, and incredibly lonely. Harumi had given Jay a small work space, and he hadn't moved away from it since. Curious as Cole was to know what exactly his friend was doing, he knew better than to get in the way when Jay was focused.

The others had each found something to do. Or at least, it seemed that way. And even if they _hadn't_ , Cole didn't feel like he knew them well enough to be good company.

He stared at his reflection upon the dirty window, letting the view of the city blur out of focus. With his eyes, he traced the scar etched over his forehead. It pulsed with a soft green glow, severely out of place against his skin.

Cole reached up to touch it. An uncomfortable sensation overcame him as he did so. Cole watched as his reflection wavered. There. Then gone. He quickly moved his fingers away.

"You okay?"

Cole turned with a jolt, as if having been caught doing something he wasn't supposed to. He'd expected to see Jay, but instead, was greeted by Kai's questioning features. "Yeah. I'm okay."

"Hmm." Kai said, disbelieving, but willing to let the subject flutter. He stepped up to the window beside Cole, frowning at the sight of Ninjago. He stood in silence for a while. Just as Cole was beginning to wonder if he should leave, Kai spoke up. "You know, it's really weird to think that you're real, and Jay wasn't just completely insane."

"Just because I'm real doesn't mean he _isn't_ insane." Cole replied, smiling to himself.

"That's true." Kai turned to look at Cole. "It's _also_ weird to realize that you know me way better than I know you. I mean, you were always around, weren't you?"

"Yeah. Not much to do when you're a ghost." Cole shrugged. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about your secret stash of failed projects inside the couch cushion."

Kai's eyes widened. "You know about that!?"

"You're not exactly the most subtle."

"I'm subtle enough." Kai huffed. "And, well, since you know about one of my darkest secrets, you need to tell me something about yourself."

"There isn't really much to say." Cole admitted. He had never thought of himself as particularly interesting person. Sure, might have been able to move mountains, but without that he was no more than a small town kid trapped in a big city. "I grew up in the middle of nowhere. There wasn't ever much going on in my life."

"There's got to be _something_." Kai protested, leaning back against the window.

Cole thought back to his life before everything. It was nice. Much nicer than drawing twenty or so blanks about his past, like he'd done as a ghost. A thought suddenly struck him. Would he lose all of his experiences again, once he was no longer living?

The idea terrified him, but he forced himself to keep a straight face. "Well, my dad's a performer. Dancing, singing, acting. . . he's all about it. Tried to make _me_ be all about it too. Long story short, I had to act as the nutcracker for our local theater more than once. Ballet and everything."

Kai eyed Cole, before chuckling softly. "I can't even imagine that. It must have been amazing."

"Furthest thing from it, actually." Cole said, but smiled at the memory. He would be lying if he said he hadn't enjoyed being on the spotlight.

Kai continued to smile, still trying to picture Cole strutting around a stage. "Well if you _don't_ turn back into a ghost, what do you think you'll do after everything is done? Would you consider performing for us?"

"Most definitely not." Cole shook his head. "And well, I'd like to go to _every_ restaurant in the city. The worst part about being a ghost is seeing other people enjoy food. Or worse yet, _waste_ food."

"Well, as much as I personally dislike Chen, his noodle house _is_ the best place to eat in Ninjago. I wholly recommend it." Kai said. "If it all turns out well, we should go together. Make a good little celebratory feast."

"I like that idea."

* * *

"I absolutely _hate_ that idea."

Cole crossed his arms, his words a harsh whisper against the noisy city. Jay bounced from one foot to another, nervously looking toward both sides of the back alley. "Harumi said it was the only way in! Unless we tried to hack the system. Which according to Zane and Nya, is a terrible plan."

Zane nodded sternly. "He would undoubtedly be ready for us."

"Well, isn't possessing something sort of like hacking anyway?" Cole said, grasping at any and all arguments his head provided. He eyed the door's electronic lock warily. "How do we know The Overlord won't sense it?"

"We don't." Jay admitted. "But he will sense us for sure if we stay out here arguing. It'll be quick. You've done it dozens of times."

"We've been out here too long as is." Kai agreed. "Feels a little odd no one's. . . come out and stopped us?"

"Don't jinx us." Nya hissed, nudging her brother's shoulder.

"I'm just saying."

Cole looked away from the door, and toward the others. "I'm sorry. I can't. Really. There's got to be another way."

"Well. . ." Jay began to fidget. " _I_ could try to do it. But-."

"That's a great idea Jay." Cole said, grabbing Jay by the shoulders and pushing him forward, toward the door. "I believe in you. Go ahead. And also hurry, before we get caught."

Jay half opened his mouth to protest, but changed his mind. He pressed his hand against the lock. A steady stream of energy pulsed beneath it. All he needed to do, was divert it. Not a particularly difficult task.

What _was_ difficult, was doing said task while four pairs of eyes stared at him expectantly. And there was also the newfound internal pressure that came with using his powers.

Back in Kryptarium, too much electricity had been the problem. Now Jay wondered if he could conjure up _enough_.

 _Trust in yourself, and yada yada._ Jay told himself. _You might not have defeated the Nindroids, but you still attacked them. You have enough strength to open a_ door _._

With a nod and a breath, Jay readied himself. Before he could act, however, he felt the energy in the lock twist on its own, unlocking with a soft _click._ Jay moved his hand away. "I didn't-"

"Great. And we're in." Cole said, without allowing Jay to finish. He led them all inside. "Okay. Labs on the top floor. We've got to take the stairs. Get ready for a lot of running."

" _I didn't open the door_." Jay hissed, tugging at Cole's sleeve. "I was _thinking_ about doing so and then-"

"So, what, you think The Overlord is just letting us waltz in?"

"I don't know but . . ."

Nya gave Jay's shoulder a comforting squeeze. "It's okay, Jay. Maybe you're just more in tune with your powers than you realize."

Jay didn't look convinced, but he didn't protest further.

 _We are in. Let us know when it is clear to proceed._ Zane's thoughts shot through the air, invisible and quick, reaching Harumi in less than a second. He waited for a response, while the others watched him expectantly.

At last, a message arrived in return. _Go. You have twenty minutes to reach the top. After that the cameras in the stairway will turn back on_.

"Twenty minutes." Zane said, giving the others a nod to urge them forward. They ran.

By the time they'd reached the top, Cole and Zane were the only ones that remained unfazed. Kai and Nya were both drenched in sweat, and Jay could hardly stand upright. He took a shuddering breath, leaning his head against Cole's back. "My knees feel like they're about to burst into flame. Then what? You guys have to carry me the rest of the way."

"Yeah, no." Cole said, ushering Jay to stand on his own. He turned to Zane. "Is the hall clear?"

Zane's eyes flashed, as he sent forth another message. After a while, he gave a quick nod. "The closest lab is empty. Lloyd is five floors beneath. If he moves, Harumi will let us know."

"Let's get this over with then." Kai said, running into the hall. The others followed.

The hall was brightly lit, leaving them uncomfortably exposed. Jay could feel the buzzing electricity of the cameras angled toward them. Shouldn't they have been off?

Maybe Harumi wanted to keep an eye on them. For safety?

Or were they running headfirst into a trap? Jay felt the burning sensation of lightning, constricted beneath his skin. _Everything's fine. We'll be out in time for dinner. Yeah. Don't fry yourself in a panic._

They sneaked into the empty lab, grateful for the cover of darkness it provided. Kai shut the door.

Jay assessed his surroundings, rocking on his heels. "Okay. Okay. Nya, Zane, help me find the parts. Cole, keep an eye on the door. Kai, I'll need your fire to weld some things together, so be ready."

Kai stepped forward, aiding Jay in spreading out the blueprints across one of the tables. "Let's hope this works."

They worked together, each of them fully focused on the task at hand.

None of them aware of the shadows shifting with greedy excitement.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Garmadon had made a lasting impact on Harumi's life. And yet, he truly did not seem to remember her at all.

That was okay, Harumi figured. Garmadon had done plenty in his life. He had no reason to remember a scrawny orphan, but he had seen potential in her then. That moment had carried her forward through everything. She'd recalled it often enough to have the details imprinted in her mind.

Harumi had been living in the Rising Starlight orphanage for a year. She was reserved, rarely making conversation with anyone, but she listened well, and knew everything there was to know about the world and people around her.

She knew Wu had come to visit, more than once. She didn't know what he was searching for. Until he found it.

"You can't- You can't _do_ this, Wu. You're absolutely insane. What's gotten into you? This pet project of yours has gone too far. These are _kids_." Harumi hadn't known Garmadon then, but something about him drew her in. She watched from her window as she argued with the man who owned ECHO. The man responsible for the death of her parents.

She watched them hiss at each other back and forth for a while. In the end, Wu had turned away, ignoring Garmadon's threats and warnings, taking with him a small, wild haired boy.

Garmadon paced in front of the orphanage. Harumi stayed by the window, eyes trained on his every move. Without knowing the reasoning behind her actions, she ran to retrieve the notebooks her parents had left behind. Then, after making sure no one was close enough to stop her, she leapt out the window.

The sound of her landing caught Garmadon's attention. Harumi stumbled forward, skinning her knees against the pavement. The pain slipped from her mind, focused on her task as she was. Garmadon rushed forward to help her.

"Hey, hey, are you alright?" Garmadon asked, and Harumi was momentarily shaken out of herself at the sight of worry in his eyes.

She bit her lip, memories of her parents suddenly overwhelming her young mind. The edges of the notebook dug against her grip, bringing her back. She shoved it forward, toward Garmadon. "My parents worked in ECHO. Something's wrong there. You want to stop it, right? That's why you were yelling at that man."

Instead of responding, Garmadon took the notebook. He flipped it open, eyes scanning each page. As he neared the end, his movements became more and more frantic. He slammed it shut, a frown tightening around his face. "I knew it. I _knew_ it. Wu's an idiot."

Garmadon hissed a curse, momentarily forgetting about Harumi's presence. He looked back down toward her and flinched. "Sorry. Thank you for this. You said your parents worked at ECHO?"

Harumi nodded.

He glanced at the orphanage behind her, quickly putting two and two together. "I'm really sorry kid. I promise I'll find a way to stop this before it gets further out of hand. If I'd known it was this bad. . . I would have acted sooner. Maybe. . . Maybe things like this could have been prevented."

Garmadon handed the notes back to Harumi. She hugged them close, then turned her shining eyes toward Garmadon's own. "You'll destroy it? ECHO?"

"Burn it all the way to the ground." Garmadon chuckled at his words, but Harumi took them in stride.

"Let me help you!" Harumi turned back toward the orphanage. No sign anyone had noticed she'd hopped outside. "No one will notice if I leave!"

Garmadon shook his head, kneeling down to be at eye-level. "Taking ECHO down is going to be a bit risky. Why don't you stay here, keep your eyes and ears open? Maybe you'll come across more information."

Harumi was disappointed, but she nodded regardless. "Okay."

"I'm counting on you," Garmadon said, as he stood. "We're a team now. Alright?"

Things had spiraled quickly after that. Garmadon had kept his promise, had burned ECHO all the way to the ground. And Harumi had kept hers, absorbing as much information as she could. When ECHO had been rebuilt, she'd slipped right into their ranks, silently waiting for an opportunity to finish what Garmadon had started.

Harumi watched the screens before her. Kai and the others slipped inside, fully ignorant of what awaited them.

While The Overlord focused on them, and they in turned focused on him, Harumi would end it all.

Burn it all the way to the ground.

* * *

The Overlord watched patiently, as the thieves of his powers scrambled to build what would supposedly destroy him.

He did not truly believe he could be destroyed. But he would no longer take risks. He would learn as much as he could about these weapons. Make sure to rid Ninjago of anything that could be used to recreate them.

"I think. . . I think that's it," Jay spoke, taking a step back. "I mean, we won't know if they work until we _try_ them but. . ."

"Good enough for me," Kai said. "Let's get this over with. The sooner we get that thing out of Lloyd, the better."

They all picked up a weapon, weighing it in their hands. Varied expressions flickered upon their faces. Worry. Anticipation. Excitement. Stubborn determination. As soon as The Overlord peeled himself away from the shadows that shrouded him, however, their expressions turned into one and the same.

Fear.

"Not part of the plan, not part of the plan. I had a bad feeling about all this and well, here we are." Jay stumbled back, hiding behind Nya and Zane. "I thought Harumi was going to warn us!?"

"She is no longer answering my messages." Zane frowned.

"I _knew_ I didn't trust her." Kai groaned. "Next time, tell me to go with my gut instincts."

"Nowhere for you to go. Drop the weapons. Return my powers willingly, and I won't harm you more than necessary." The Overlord's childlike voice echoed through the room.

"Pass," Cole hissed, lifting his arm in a dramatic motion. The floor beneath The Overlord followed the movement, moving upward to trap him where he stood.

They ran out of the door, but their steps wouldn't be fast enough to outrun anything. With a pulse of the shadows surrounding him, the floor cracked, freeing The Overlord in an instant. He walked forward calmly.

"The stairs are locked!" He heard one of them shout, as he stepped out into the hall.

"I can try to knock it down. I just need a minute."

The Overlord stood in the center of the hall. They all turned to face him.

"Looks like we don't _get_ a minute." Jay whimpered. "Now what?"

Behind The Overlord, the elevator chimed. For a second, their faces turned hopeful. As if one final twist had come to rescue them. An old friend, perhaps. Someone forgotten until this very minute, someone who might turn the tide of their fate.

The Overlord allowed himself a triumphant smile. There would be no such thing.

Heavy steps spilled into the hall. The hope faded as quickly as it had come, as the newly improved androids filled the hall, weapons at the ready.

"Now, you surrender."

* * *

Everything had gone wrong in less than a second.

Garmadon leaped forward as he spotted Lloyd. " _No._ "

The others wasted no time. Cole trapped him in place, giving them enough time to run out, but there was nowhere to go.

"We need to help them. How did The Overlord even-" Garmadon's voice faded as he turned. Harumi's expression was severely out of place. She looked overly excited, staring at the screens before them with a wide smile. "Harumi?"

"You didn't really think they'd make it, did you?" Harumi laughed. The sound sent goosebumps traveling up Garmadon's arms. "Look. Look at how absolutely _useless_ they are."

She laughed once more, and Garmadon returned his attention to the screens. The kids were surrounded now. He shook his head. "Harumi, this is serious. If we don't stop The Overlord-"

"We'll stop him. Don't worry. We'll stop him," Harumi said. "Like I told you all. I have a little back up."

Garmadon watched as she unclipped a small device from her belt. It held an array of small, white buttons, along with one large red one. "What is that?"

"It's all we need to stop ECHO!" Harumi smiled with pride. "Boom!"

"A bomb?"

"Not _a_ bomb. A _lot_ of bombs." She toyed with the button, caressing it softly with one of her fingers. Garmadon repressed the urge to leap forward and snatch it from her hands. He couldn't risk accidentally setting everything off. "I'll make sure everything is destroyed. _Everything._ Finish what you tried before."

"We can't know it will work, Harumi." Garmadon tried to keep his voice calm and leveled. It trembled at a higher volume than it should have, however. All he truly wanted to do was yell. "Just. . . give that to me. We can go in and help them. I'm sure you can-"

" _No!_ " Harumi hissed. "Don't you understand? _I'm_ the one fixing this. I'm fixing it for _you_. You don't need them! You never have. I'm the one who's done _everything_. Can't you see that?"

"You have been really helpful," Garmadon agreed. "But this is unnecessary, Harumi. You don't really want to do this. Think about the others, about Lloyd, about all those innocent people working in ECHO. You really think they deserve to die?"

"Innocent? They're the ones working there. It was their choice. They _do_ deserve it. Keeping their head down, following whatever was above them, helping no one but themselves." Harumi's hands were trembling now, eyes flashing with more emotions than Garmadon could capture. He dared to take another step forward.

"What is this really about?" Garmadon asked, wondering if he could distract her long enough to retrieve the device. "What is _everything_ really about? You working in ECHO, The Sons of. . . Garmadon, everything you've done?"

"It's about you. Everything is about _you_. Can you not see that?" Harumi looked to be in the verge of tears. "We made a promise to each other! We were a team. We _are_ a team. Me and you. We're going to destroy ECHO for what it did to us."

"What did. . ." Garmadon frowned. A memory struggled to surface in the back of his mind. ". . . The orphanage. The kid. You?"

"Yes!" Harumi shouted, every other emotion wiped away and replaced by a flash of happiness. "You remember. You remember me!"

Garmadon nodded slowly. The kid had brought him information that reaffirmed The Overlord's existence within ECHO. It had been thanks to her that he'd realized how fast things were moving, but he couldn't remember much else. He certainly couldn't remember a promise.

"You told me you'd avenge my parents. And you did. I'd hoped you'd come back for me, but _Wu_ threw you into Kryptarium. I knew you didn't deserve it. You'd saved Ninjago, but everyone was too stupid to realize it.

"They all blamed you! They despised you! It made me sick." Harumi shook her head. "I knew I had to get you out. And I knew no one would help me do it."

Harumi held her arms out, as if to signal everything around her. "I did everything on my own. I found people that would trust me. I learned the ins and outs of Ninjago's less savory world, while acting nice enough to slip _right_ into ECHO's ranks. For you. Everything was for you."

Garmadon didn't know what to think. Harumi had made all the wrong choices, had found a way to grieve in all the wrong ways, but in the end, she was still just a kid. "Harumi. Please. Give that to me. You're amazingly intelligent. You can do so much more than _this_. Don't throw it all away with one bad decision."

Harumi hesitated.

"We can be a team. We'll save Ninjago together. We can find a better way."

Harumi began to relax.

Garmadon's eyes flickered back to the screens.

Harumi stiffened. "No."

"What?"

" _No._ You only care about them!" Harumi shouted. "Well, they're nothing! Nothing compared to me. You'll see. Once they're gone. You'll _see._ "

With a bit of stifled laughter, Harumi's finger returned to the button.

* * *

Jay was mildly impressed at the way things had fallen apart.

His talent for imagining all the worst possibilities was sharp and unsurpassed. Still, he hadn't wound up imagining things would get _this_ bad. The door to the stairway was locked. And the path to the elevator blocked.

By The Overlord himself. And by a dozen of the terrifying nindroids.

Their weapons were raised, aimed directly at them. Jay had the urge to lift his hands in surrender, but when no one else did, he did his best to stand his ground.

"He wouldn't _kill_ us would he?" He hissed in Cole's direction. "He needs us alive. To get his powers. Right? Please say right."

"I don't know, Jay." Cole answered, his tone sharp with frustration. " I don't know."

"What's our play here?" Kai asked. "Take as many out as we can?"

"That still ends up with us losing," Nya said.

"Maybe, but at least we'll have done some damage."

Cole gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head. "Not that. Just. Be ready. Trust me."

With those words, Cole looked up at Lloyd. Jay bit his lip, wondering what, exactly, his friend had in mind. He trusted Cole. What he did _not_ trust were the odds stacked against them.

"Okay. We surrender. Now what?" Cole shouted. The Overlord tilted his head, studying them, as if trying to decide whether or not they were planning some sort of trick. In the end, he gave a nod to the nindroids, which stepped forward to surround them.

"You follow me."

They walked forward. Jay eyed the guns warily, still wondering if The Overlord truly did need them alive to extract their powers. He looked back toward Cole. _Be ready._ Jay watched his friend closely, and he knew the others were doing the same, but Cole gave no signal, made no visible effort to kick-start a plan to get them out. The elevator neared.

Cole gave a determined huff. Then, in the blink of an eye, he was gone.

No. Not gone. Jay watched one of the nindroids momentarily shudder, the bright red light of its eyes fizzling before settling again. Possession.

Before The Overlord could turn, Nindroid Cole lifted his weapon, firing at the other nindroids that surrounded them. Although his aim was poor, the action was enough to ripple a chain of attacks.

Nya shot a wave of water at the nindroids beside her, while Kai shot fire at the ones on the opposite side. The nindroid's bodies slammed against the wall. With a stomp of his foot, Zane froze the remaining nindroids in place. Jay scrambled to get out of their way.

"To the stairs. I'm shooting down the door," Cole shouted, his voice loud and artificial, aiming even as he spoke.

Jay turned to run. With wobbly legs beneath him, he fell forward, ground rushing up to meet him. He closed his eyes against the impact, but the impact never came.

He felt himself being lifted up by his middle. Jay's eyes snapped open. The Overlord held him above the ground, along with the rest of his friends. Cole was back to himself, looking dazed and exhausted as he hovered above the tiled floor.

"Pathetic," The Overlord hissed. With nothing more than a change of expression, he flung them all back. "This is a game we've played before. You all remember how going against me ends."

Jay's back hit the wall first. Breath escaped him for a brief second as he landed on the ground. Around him, his friends struggled, equally dazed, or more so. Cole's eyes were shut. The Overlord began to walk closer.

The shadows accompanying him grew in number. All reaching slowly for their prey. Jay could feel the lightning burning within him, but he couldn't summon it. The image of Lloyd flipping back through the air, electricity shrouding him, plagued Jay's mind. What if he made things worse? What if he hurt his friends? He couldn't attack.

His eyes drifted back toward the others, trying to get some sort of cue as to what to do. None of them had any clue. None of them wanted to hurt Lloyd.

They couldn't attack.

With a commanding gesture, The Overlord sent a wave of darkness forward. This was it.

Jay's eyes flickered to Cole. He'd given them all a chance, doing the very last thing he'd wanted to do. He couldn't imagine how difficult it had been, to dive headfirst into his fears. Cole's voice flickered in his head. _How many things have you built using your powers? How many things have you fixed? You're focusing on all the wrong things_

 _All the wrong things,_ Jay thought to himself, nodding. He jumped forward, toward the darkness, open palm's facing The Overlord's smug expression.

Jay did not have to be destructive. He did not have to be a weapon.

He could be a shield.

A curved wall of lightning formed before him. His head swam with the sudden effort, but his lightning held.

The shadows crashed against it. With another pulse of energy, he pushed them back. "We have to get to the stairs! C'mon! Help Cole. I'll hold this demon back."

Jay didn't look back to see if the others had listened. It took everything to keep his focus on the task at hand.

"We just have to get the door open!" Kai shouted from behind him. "Come on, Zane. Me and you together, we can knock it down."

Jay took a measured step back, then another. The shadows struggled to find a way through, but there was none. Jay laughed. "Not so pathetic now, huh?"

So things hadn't gone exactly as planned. That was alright. As long as they got out of ECHO, they could make another attempt. And they _would_ get out. All thanks to-

"Zane?"

Kai's voice chilled him. Along with a sudden, uncomfortable cold clawing at his feet. Jay looked down, watching ice crawl up his legs, freezing him in place. He looked back as much as he was able to. Nya and Kai were in the same predicament. Zane stood still, eyes glowing a bright shade of purple.

But there were no shadows connecting him to The Overlord. "How-"

Jay's questions was knocked short, as another attack slammed against his wall of lighting, with a gasp and frustrated cry, he felt his power slip.

Then there was nothing but darkness.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Garmadon's body clenched, watching the movement of Harumi's finger.

For a second that lasted an eternity, Garmadon felt his world end.

Then, at all once, Harumi's grip relaxed. The button was left untouched. Garmadon blinked, wondering if he'd finally gotten through to her. Then her body slumped forward, and her eyes rolled behind her head. Garmadon flinched as she slammed against the ground.

In the space behind her, stood Ronin, tranquilizer gun in one hand.

" _Ronin_." Garmadon breathed the name with a sigh of relief. He slumped forward, hands resting against his knees. The rush of adrenaline had left him weak. "Thank you."

"Blowing up ECHO sounded like a waste." Ronin shrugged, nonchalantly waving away his actions. "Couldn't really let it happen. I get some of my best weapons from Wu."

"I thought you'd left," Garmadon said, straightening himself.

"Nah." Ronin shook his head. "I knew there was something weird about this place. I thought I knew everything there was to know about Ninjago, yet I'd never heard of this kid and her overgrown goons. I don't trust people who are sneakier than me."

"We have to get to ECHO," Garmadon said, snatching the bracelet Jay had given him from the desk. He gripped the cool metal tightly. "Everything fell apart. They need our help."

"I'll bet they do." Ronin looked down at Harumi. "Don't know how long she'll be out for. Don't like to think about what'll happen when she _does_ come to."

"She's a problem for another day." Garmadon picked up the detonator, carefully keeping his fingers away from the button. "Right now, we need to make sure The Overlord doesn't get his powers back."

"You know the city is _really_ going to owe me for this." Ronin pretended to sigh in resignation. "Let's get out of here. Before things end up worse."

Garmadon nodded. They headed out into the hall, following the stairs up to the roof, where R.E.X. awaited them. As they hopped inside, Garmadon felt the lack of a plan of action twisting the insides of his stomach. How could he fix everything?

 _If_ he could get to Lloyd, the bracelet would hopefully rid The Overlord of its powers. Then he could get the kids, and they could finish the job. But that was a very big and unreliable _if_. Even if Garmadon had been in better shape, he didn't think he would have much of a chance against an age old entity.

The element of surprise wouldn't exactly work in their favor either. The moment they neared ECHO, The Overlord would know.

"So what exactly is your play here?" Ronin asked. "Not to sound pessimistic, but it truly looks like Ninjago's done for. Might be better to forget about all this."

"And do what? Hide? Ronin, this is _your_ city as well. I can't believe you'd-"

"I'm helping you, aren't I?" Ronin snapped, turning to face Garmadon. The frustration faded from his eyes as quickly as it had come. "I just think we need a plan. I don't think we'll get very far without one. And I'm not much of a fan of jumping into situations were losing is inevitable."

"Well, I'm open for suggestions," Garmadon said. "There's not much I can think of. ECHO's building was _designed_ to be well protected. And with The Overlord controlling everything. . . I'm not exactly sure where his limits lie."

"The technology."

"Exactly. There's the technology. I don't even understand half the things that-"

"No, no." Ronin shook his head. "His weakness _lies_ in the technology. He's grown incredibly comfortable knowing he has those androids protecting him. But what if they didn't?"

"You're suggesting we take those things down?" Garmadon scoffed. "You're giving yourself far too much credit, if you think you'd be able to do so."

"Not _that_. What if they protected _us_?" Ronin smirked with triumph. "Back when I captured you in Birchwood, R.E.X. was easily able to slip into Zane's systems. Why should these androids be any different?"

Garmadon shook his head, remembering the tale Nya and Zane's tale. "The Overlord is incredibly aware. I'm not sure it would work."

"He might be all that, but he just got exactly what he wanted. He'll be too focused on this victory to think about any possible threats. That's our chance. We take enough androids to keep us safe as we barrel into ECHO."

"And then?"

" _Then_ ," Ronin said with a strained smile. "Then we hope luck's on our side."

* * *

Around Zane, everything fell apart. By his own hand.

He felt a pull inside his mind. A seed, planted in his previous battle with The Overlord, blossoming into a tangled web. It created an invisible connection between them. Zane lost control of himself.

His own ice rushed forward, trapping his friends. The last bit of hope slipped from their eyes.

Zane wanted to scream. He had been unreliable since the beginning. The illusion of free will had blinded him, but the truth was, he was only a machine. The frustration of who he was and who he was not drowned him.

The Overlord guided them into a different room. Five large crystal capsules awaited. The so-called extraction chambers, Zane had no doubt.

This was it. The end of the line. Once their powers were gone, there would be no hope. Ninjago was doomed.

Still under The Overlord's command, Zane helped shove his now unconscious friends into the machines. Once done, he found himself stepping into one himself. It sealed shut behind him.

Zane found he was again fully in control of himself. He turned back to the shut door, eyes moving wildly, searching for a weakness, begging his wired mind to find what the human eye might have missed.

In a bout of desperation, he pounded against the crystal. The impact reverberated around him, but the capsule remained undamaged. The Overlord paid him no mind.

"Lloyd. Lloyd I know you are still there. You _need_ to fight this. We can not allow The Overlord to be successful." Zane's voice was loud within the capsule, but he wasn't sure if the sound had managed to travel toward the kid's ears. "Please. I know you are stronger than he is."

The Overlord did not turn. A sudden humming sound began to grow louder and louder in Zane's ears. He felt a painful tug against his head. Around him, the others stirred uncomfortably, the same sensation shifting through them. One by one, it jolted them awake.

"Where-"

"What-"

"Wait, no, _no._ " Their voices were muffled, but the panic in their expressions said it all.

The Overlord finally turned their way, a smile creating soft dimples un Lloyd's cheeks.

A spark. Zane frowned, his eyes shifting toward it. Another. This time in the opposite direction. The pain lessened. Then, with a painful groan, the machines stopped humming, slowly settling into silence.

Was it over?

"No!" The Overlord answered for him, features scrunched up into a pout. "What _now_? _Borg!_ "

Darkness twitching beneath him, The Overlord stomped out of the room.

"Um." Zane turned toward Jay, whose face was now smushed against the glass of his capsule, as he struggled for a better look of the room. "What just happened?"

"It didn't work," Kai said, blinking softly. He gave a soft chuckle, then, a louder laugh. "It didn't work! Maybe our powers _do_ belong to us?"

"I doubt that. Did you not see the sparks? The machines only broke before they could properly do their job," Zane explained.

"Way to kill the vibe." Kai sighed.

"I apologize." Zane frowned. "Also, I apologize for getting us all into this situation. If it had not been for me, then-"

"Whoa, Zane." Nya shook her head. "This isn't your fault. If anything, it's _my_ fault. I'm the one that pressured you to hack into ECHO's systems. I'm guessing that's how The Overlord managed to control you without a direct connection."

"Trying to put blame on ourselves won't help anything." Cole shook his head. "We should be focusing on the _real_ question. Did Borg make a mistake with the machines? Or . . . was it intentional?"

"No way it was an accident," Jay said. "Borg? Making a mistake? _Ha!_ "

"If Borg's on our side . . . maybe we can still get things back on-" Kai cut off his words. Footsteps neared the room again. Seconds later, The Overlord and Borg walked inside.

"You said things were ready." The Overlord growled, stomping over to the large monitor. "Does _this_ look ready?"

The Overlord typed a set of commands. The buzzing sound returned, as did the uncomfortable sensation. Zane shut his eyes, waiting for it to fade. Inevitably, the humming stuttered, then came to a halt. Zane relaxed, and the others expelled breaths of relief.

"Oh. Right," Borg said. Zane re-opened his eyes, watching the man fumble around for something. "It _is_ in working condition, I just forgot to mention _this_."

Borg held up a metal helmet, small enough to fit snuggly against Lloyd's head. The Overlord eyed it warily. "What is that?"

"It will connect you to the capsules. So that the energy within them reaches you. As of now, it is beginning the process, but without a final destination, it cannot be completed." Borg handed over the helmet. The Overlord took it with hesitant fingers.

"You know that if this does not work, there will be consequences," The Overlord hissed. "Need I remind you what my powers can do?"

"No, no. I- I assure you this will work." Borg nodded fearfully, the spider-like legs beneath him skittering back. "I know there would be no use in lying to you."

The Overlord narrowed his eyes, still untrusting. Zane's eyes shifted over to Borg. Was he seeking to aid them? Or was he speaking the truth? Zane could find no answer to his question. All Borg's eyes expelled was fear.

After studying the helmet thoroughly, The Overlord decided it did not pose a threat. As he lifted it toward his head, Zane watched the others around him tense, watching with wide, expecting eyes.

The helmet slid into place. Nothing happened.

Zane frowned, feeling the hope he had been holding onto flutter. Then, it returned in full force, as Borg shouted two words Zane had not known he had longed to hear.

"Pixal, _now!_ "

* * *

 _Pixal?_ Nya had tried to say, both ecstatic and terribly confused.

Her mouth, however, made absolutely no effort to move. In fact, Nya wasn't at all sure she could _feel_ it. She wasn't sure she could feel anything at all.

There was nothing but darkness. When had it arrived? She couldn't make sense of it. She couldn't make sense of anything. Trying to think anything at all was an insurmountable task.

A soft pinpoint of light struggled to shiver into her sight. Once it caught Nya's attention, it began to grow. Soon enough, it engulfed her.

"Pixal," Nya finally said, her thoughts returning to her. "What is. . ?"

She scanned the world around her, trying her best to adapt to the rapidly changing settings. One second, the plan to sneak into ECHO was going smoothly. The next, they were seconds away from losing their abilities. And now. . .

"Where the heck are we?" Kai's voice echoed around her. Nya turned her head, spotting the others strewn about the empty white void. All had the same startled look in their eyes. All except for Zane.

"This. . . this is where The Overlord found me," Zane said, standing quickly. "Pixal? Are you there?"

 _You must defeat him, Zane._ Pixal's voice came from everywhere at once. Nya did her best to pinpoint the source, but her friend was nowhere to be seen. _If you destroy him here, he will lose all hold he has with technology. He will be considerably weakened._

"Sounds like a plan," Cole said, helping Jay stand.

"But how can we?" Zane asked. "He is much more powerful."

 _I do not know._ Pixal said. _I only know that you must._

"I'm really glad you're not gone, Pix." Nya smiled, her eyes still searching. "Once this is over, maybe we can find a way to . . . Give you your body back."

 _Let us focus on the task at hand first._

"I agree with Pixal," Jay muttered, pointing forward. " _Look!_ "

A dot of darkness hovered before them. They backed away together, steps slow as their eyes clung to the image before them. It began to grow, attempting to shape itself to resemble a human. Yet the shadows continuously melted and reformed, preventing it from holding a single form

"The Overlord," Zane whispered.

" _What is this?_ " The Overlord hissed.

Without the filter of Lloyd's voice, his words sounded distorted, the volume loud enough to feel like a physical presence. They each flinched at the sound, painful and stifling against their minds.

Recognition flashed through The Overlord's eyes. "Ah. We have been here before, have we not, Zane?"

Zane didn't answer.

"Is this an attempt at stopping me? Very well. I will play along, if only to show you there is no hope."

Darkness sprouted forward, giving them no time to react. They were thrown back, skidding against the invisible ground. Before they could stand, The Overlord repeated the process, scattering them around the void.

 _You must be faster,_ Pixal said, rather unhelpfully.

"Yeah, no kidding. I think we got-" Jay's annoyed retort was cut short by another attack.

"Gah!" Kai growled. " _Stop_ that!"

With a lift of his arms, he sent a wave of flames forward, striking The Overlord head on. When the fire came into contact with the shadows, they broke apart and frizzled into nothing. For a second, with the darkness dispelled, a small purple orb was visible.

The shadows reformed, once again protecting the fragile core.

"Weak spot," Cole and Kai chorused.

"Let's try to get him to do that again," Cole commanded, voice loud enough for them all to hear. Obeying his own suggestion, Cole formed a group of sharp edged boulders, shooting them forward with no hesitation.

"Aye, aye." Nya shouted in response, sending forward an attack of her own.

The darkness that formed The Overlord effortlessly melded onto the white ground, and out of the way. Cole was shot back by the force of Nya's attack, and Nya rolled aside to avoid Cole's.

"Oh, clever are you?" Jay muttered with a frown. Using lightning, he shot his body upward, preparing to attack The Overlord from above. "What do you think about _this!_ "

As the words left his mouth, Jay's attack crackled forward, moving at the impossible speed that only lightning could achieve. Yet, somehow, The Overlord's attack moved even faster, crashing against Jay's lightning and shooting it back toward him. Jay gritted his teeth as the electricity hit his body. He crashed back against the ground.

 _Projecting what you are planning to do is not the best of plans._ Pixal chided them

Nya trotted toward Jay, helping him to stand. His hair stood on end, frizzled and electrified. As another attack shot forward, Zane moved to shield them. "Pixal is right."

"Of course she's right. She's an all knowing all seeing voice," Kai said, as he and Cole joined them behind Zane's momentary shield. "You could pitch in with a plan _anytime,_ Pixal!"

"No need," Cole said, eyes running through the people before them. Their strengths and their weaknesses listed themselves in his mind, a plan clicking together as the seconds ticked forward. "I've got an idea."

* * *

Lloyd blinked.

He _blinked_.

For a moment, he wasn't quite sure it had truly been _him_ who had done it, and not The Overlord's own will. To be on the safe side, Lloyd did it once more. He held his eyes shut, then, he slowly reopened them.

He was back. He truly was.

At least. . . for now.

It was difficult to move his head, with the heavy helmet stacked atop it, but he didn't dare to touch it. It was important, and it was most likely the reason as to why he was back to himself.

Lloyd could see the others, still trapped within the thick glass capsules. Their eyes were shut, although their expressions were beyond relaxed. They twitched, flinched, and muttered, trapped somewhere Lloyd had not been able to follow.

A noise brought his attention back to the room around him. Borg! He'd somehow forgotten about the man. "Borg!"

Borg gave a wordless scream, and Lloyd heard the metallic legs upholding his body scramble. "S-sir?"

"No! It's me!" Lloyd tried to turn his head, but could not. He swung his legs back and forth as he spoke instead, feeling the terrible need to _move_. "It's Lloyd!"

" _Lloyd_." Borg's voice was thick with relief, as he moved into view.

"Hi," Lloyd responded. "I don't really know what's going on, but, there were some weapons the others were building. The Overlord had them taken away. I think they might need them. You need to bring them back."

"Weapons?"

Lloyd rolled his eyes. "Yes. Weapons! They're for destroying The Overlord! Find them!"

Borg gave a startled nod and rushed to obey, more out of habit than anything.

As he watched him go, Lloyd's energized fidgeting increased. Things were coming to an end, that much was certain. One way or another, his fate and the fate of Ninjago itself was going to let itself be known.

Lloyd was afraid of what would happen to him if the others failed.

But if he was honest with himself, he was also afraid of what would happen if they succeeded.

* * *

The Overlord knew what the others were planning.

He stood still, in the center of everything, pretending to be clueless.

Kai and Nya had worked together to create a thick mist. This would have blinded him, had it not been impossible. The Overlord did not rely solely on his sight. Through the darkness that formed him, he could _feel_ what his eyes could not.

Jay and Zane were moving toward him at a steady pace. The Overlord could feel the shuddering electricity both inside and outside Jay's body. And, of course, there was the steady connection between himself and Zane's weak mind. Their attempt at stealth was sabotaged by who they were.

He let them approach. Let them hope.

The Overlord sensed the sudden tension in their bodies, sense their intention to attack. He flung the darkness to either side of himself, wrapping both Jay and Zane in his iron grip.

"No!" Jay shouted, struggling to wiggle free. The robot was a bit less dramatic, choosing to silently watch for a weakness. Too bad there were none.

Not for the first time, The Overlord wondered what would happened if he simply killed them. It would not be difficult. And yet, what if his powers perished with them, leaving him trapped in the weak body of a human for the rest of its lifespan?

He had to find a way to bring them back.

 _He has captured Jay and Zane. Nya, Kai, you must act quickly!_

That voice. The Overlord recognized it now. It belong to the pesky android he thought had been destroyed. The moment this charade was over, he would wipe her completely off ECHO's systems.

Without allowing Kai and Nya to do much more than flinch, The Overlord captured them. He held them all above his head, grip far tighter than necessary.

"Enough games. I hope you see now there is nothing you can do against me." The Overlord narrowed his eyes, searching the void for the final member. After all, it wasn't as if there were anywhere to hide.

But. . . Cole was nowhere. A terrible sense of foreboding ran through The Overlord. Cole. _Cole._ The ghost.

Even after using his power to force him back into a body of flesh, Cole had still been able to hop back into his previous form. Regardless, The Overlord had always been able to see him. Had wrongfully assumed it was all due to the power he held.

It had never occurred to him that it was all due to the open mind of a child.

"Boo!"

Before The Overlord could turn toward the sound, a shower of rocks broke through the darkness that protected him. The Overlord felt his power vanish as before, leaving him vulnerable. Only for a second.

But a second was all that was needed.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Cole wasn't all sure his plan would work. And he wasn't all sure he wanted it to, either.

An internal countdown had persistently begun to click the moment they'd stepped into ECHO. How many breaths did he have left? How many more things would he be able to _feel_? He wasn't at all sure. He just knew they'd never be enough. He was not looking forward to being a ghost again.

But what other option was there? It wasn't as if they could let The Overlord win

Cole explained his plan to the others, ignoring the little selfish voice in the back of his mind that suggested they give up.

The Overlord would not let them get close. Even if they found a way to blind him, Cole had no doubt the entity had other ways to take in the world around him. Sneaking was out of the question. Or it would have been, if they hadn't happened to have a teammate that could flicker in and out of existence.

Lloyd's ability to _see_ Cole worried him. He didn't know if it had all been due to the kid, or due to The Overlord himself. Still, it was worth a shot.

Kai and Nya worked together to create a thick mist. It allowed Cole to slip back into his ghostly figure without catching The Overlord's attention. Jay and Zane moved forward together. An android and a lightning rod. The perfect distraction.

Cole began to move. Although his steps were confident, fear rushed through him, expecting to be discovered at any moment.

He wasn't.

The Overlord lashed out, attacking Jay and Zane, lifting them off the ground with a victorious motion. Cole moved closer still. He was directly in The Overlord's line of sight now. But The Overlord's eyes could not see him.

Kai and Nya were next. Cole moved behind The Overlord. He would have to be fast. The moment he returned to his body, it wouldn't take long for him to be noticed.

"Enough games. I hope you see that there is nothing you can do against me."

 _Isn't there?_ Cole thought, flickering back into existence.

He willed his power to rush through him, then sent a wave of sharpened stone forward. With a confident smile, and a rush of adrenaline, he shouted the first thing that came to mind. "Boo!"

The stone destroyed the shadows. The others fell, The Overlord's power momentarily gone. They all stumbled to stand, their respective powers coating their arms.

" _Now_."

Together, they unleashed their abilities.

For a moment, the core resisted, remaining whole as the attack continued. Then, it began to shake, its light dimming and brightening at random intervals.

With an explosion that blew them all off their feet, the core broke apart.

* * *

When they landed atop ECHO, absolutely nothing happened.

Garmadon hopped down, his eyes scanning the empty roof. "Well. Not quite the welcome I was expecting."

"You said it," Ronin agreed, walking up beside him. "It's awfully quiet. And awfully . . . dark."

Ronin's words were true. Aside from the light that R.E.X.'s headlights offered, ECHO's building was shrouded in darkness. Garmadon tried the door. It opened without any sort of resistance. "Maybe the others found a way to get out. Maybe it's over."

"Maybe," Ronin said, without much conviction. "Or maybe it's a trap."

"Why would a trap be necessary? It's not like we're a threat."

"I like to think _I'm_ a threat." Ronin shrugged, pretending to be offended as they trotted down the stairs. They reached the end, once against finding the door to the top floor unlocked. Ronin paused, staring at the sight before him before giving a low whistle. "Okay. Maybe I'm thinking it's _not_ a trap."

The bodies of The Overlord's androids laid strewn about the floor. All powered down.

Ronin bent down to pick up one of the guns, studying it with satisfaction. "ECHO's been holding out on me."

Garmadon shook his head as Ronin offered him one of the weapons. "I'm not too comfortable handling that."

"Suit yourself," Ronin said, straightening. "Now what?"

"There are labs on this floor, and the floor beneath. I don't exactly know where The Overlord took the others. We should split up, see what we can find." Garmadon eyes shifted as he spoke. Where was Lloyd? What had happened? He was anxious for answers, and Ronin's relaxed attitude was beginning to rub him the wrong way. "You've got a way we can keep in touch?"

"Yeah. But I don't think splitting up is such a good idea. Things might seem okay but-"

Without letting Ronin finish, Garmadon took the small radio from his hand, then turned back toward the stairs.

It felt weird, wandering around the halls in ECHO. It was like stepping into the past. A different world altogether. He remembered fighting with Wu, always trying to upstage him, but never quite managing. Wu's brain had always been far more suited to science. Garmadon had despised being second best.

He remembered meeting Misako.

As he searched the building, his mind fell back to those blissful years, which now seemed extremely surreal. For a time, she had made him feel like he was enough. For a time, his rivalry with Wu hadn't mattered. For a time, Garmadon had been happy.

Then his father had decided to let Wu lead the company. Even after years had passed, Garmadon found he still felt a wave of resentment toward it all.

 _Garmadon,_ Ronin's radio crackled. Garmadon stopped, pulling it toward his ear to listen to the man's words.

* * *

"I found Borg," Ronin said. "Seems like he's finally working for the right team. He's going to take me to the others. You should focus on finding your kid. I'll help them carry out their plan."

 _Okay,_ Garmadon's voice answered. _You have to destroy ECHO's old CPU. It's in my father's old office, in the third floor._

"Got it." Ronin moved to put the radio back up, but Garmadon's words stopped him.

 _Wait!_

"Yeah?"

 _Don't destroy it until I give you the signal. I have to make sure Lloyd's wearing one of Borg's bracelets before you do it. It should keep him safe._

"Sure." Ronin shrugged. "Anything else I can do for you since, apparently, I now take requests?"

Instead of responding, the line fizzled as it disconnected.

"The bracelets will keep Lloyd stable? Fascinating. They may yet prove useful for other things." Borg nodded to himself, shoving the weapons he had been holding in his lap, onto Ronin's hands. Ronin took them begrudgingly. Being helpful got annoying _quick._ "Well, come on, there's no time to lose. Pixal said Lloyd exited the lab where the others are. Hopefully Garmadon will find him, before The Overlord can do more damage."

"Uh-huh," Ronin said, not really listening.

* * *

Lloyd felt The Overlord return.

For a moment, it was as if they both stood at a standstill, not quite knowing which of the two wills was stronger. With a newfound sense of confidence, Lloyd fought to push the entity away.

"Not so strong now, huh?" Lloyd smirked, glad to still be capable of speaking up.

"Still strong _enough_ ," The Overlord growled back, using Lloyd's arms to rip the helmet from his head. "The game's not over yet."

Lloyd struggled, but then thought better of it. If he saved his strength, maybe he could make a move when it truly mattered. He had to figure out what The Overlord was up to first. "So what are we doing?"

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with," The Overlord hissed in response, but Lloyd caught his thoughts anyway. _Need to find it. Keep it safe. But how to get out?_ The image of a blocky CPU flashed in Lloyd's mind. He didn't know what to do with the information, but he set it aside regardless.

They ran into the hall. The eerily silent hall. All the androids Lloyd spotted as they moved were powered down. Without The Overlord's connection, they were no more than empty husks. Lloyd hadn't been too fond of them, but seeing them that way made him feel a pang of sadness. How many of the androids could have done something good, if they were given the chance?

"What will happen to the others?" Lloyd asked, mind flashing back to his friends. If The Overlord had returned from wherever they'd gone, why hadn't they?

"Not my concern."

"I feel like it _is_ your concern. If you don't want them to stop you," Lloyd muttered. It was increasingly satisfying to be able to talk. And even more so, to be able to actually _annoy_ The Overlord.

The Overlord stopped Lloyd's body. Lloyd was suddenly bombarded with The Overlord's own anxieties. Should he go back? Should he keep going? He should have found a way to stop them from returning to their bodies, but what if it was too late now, and they had awakened? In that case, it would be safer to keep going.

With the inner monologue taking over his focus, The Overlord's unfocused eyes missed the entrance of a final player in the equation.

Lloyd, however, was all too aware.

" _Dad!_ "

* * *

 _Anything else I can do for you, since, apparently, I now take requests?_

Garmadon opened his mouth to remind Ronin of the severity of the situation. Before he could do so, a faint sound reached his ears. Footsteps. Then, to accompany them, the voice Garmadon most wanted to hear.

Although he couldn't discern the words, he moved toward them, eager for answers. Even when the footsteps stopped, he had a fairly good idea of where to go. Garmadon rounded a corner, almost melting with relief as he spotted Lloyd in the opposite end of the hall.

For a second, Lloyd's eyes were void of any emotion. Garmadon slowed, wondering if The Overlord was still a threat. Then, his son's eyes widened with a smile. " _Dad!_ "

"Lloyd!" Garmadon shouted back in response, running forward now. Instead of rushing to meet him, however, Lloyd stood still. Garmadon spotted the pools of darkness crowding around him, and managed to skid to a stop. "Lloyd?"

"Your son is nothing more than a voice," The Overlord growled at him, eyes flashing with a purple light. "Move out of our way, old man."

"You're weak," Garmadon said. "Where are the others?"

"They're fine," Lloyd responded. "They did something! The Overlord's trying to find some old computer thing. I don't know what he-"

" _Silence_ ," The Overlord hissed, and all softness was suddenly erased from Lloyd's expression. His posture became defensive, shadows crawling up and around his skin. "You've helped me before, Garmadon. Why don't you lend me a hand once more? You've seen what I can do. You will not regret remaining on my good side.

"Ninjago treated you poorly. Surely you could do with a bit of revenge?"

"I don't want revenge," Garmadon replied, surprised to find it was the truth. "I want my son."

"Wrong answer."

The shadows shot forward, digging into Garmadon's mind.

* * *

"Lloyd's gone. No doubt The Overlord is still in his body. We need to get moving."

Cole spoke with confidence, helping the others out of the crystal capsules. Pixal had been kind enough to unlock them, but after the battle against The Overlord, they were all having a little trouble staying on their feet without support.

Their powers were weakening. Kai could feel it.

"Let's go find the weapons then," he said, trying hard not to think too hard about what he was losing.

"You mean these?"

The sudden voice startled them all. They turned to the door, automatically jumping into a defensive stance, elemental powers brewing at their fingertips.

But it was only Ronin, accompanied by Borg. He tossed the weapons in their direction. Kai's eyes narrowed as he bent to pick one up. "Yeah. These. What are you doing here?"

"Saving Ninjago, what about yourself?"

Kai rolled his eyes. He turned to Borg instead. "We need to find he office of Garmadon's dad."

"Yes. Yes, of course." Borg's eyes flickered to the machines for a moment, before he turned back into the hall. "And those weapons will truly destroy The Overlord? I can't imagine things would go well for any of us if we do not end this right here."

"That's the idea," Nya said.

"Well, let's hope it all goes well. Pixal, power up the elevators please."

 _Yes, sir_ , Pixal answered. The light above the elevator flickered to life. Seconds later, the doors slid open.

"Alright kids." Ronin waved them forward. "Let's go kill a demon."

* * *

Garmadon could feel The Overlord probing around in his mind.

Every memory The Overlord approached turned bitter. His mistakes outshone all other things, imprinting in his mind the fact that _everything_ had been _his_ fault.

Ninjago would fall apart because of the bitterness that had led him to free The Overlord. He'd ruined the kids' lives, forcing them to go through many things they shouldn't have ever been a part of. He should have tried harder to stop Wu, to stop ECHO. His actions had left Lloyd to fend for himself.

Garmadon tried to take a step back. Tried to break away from the darkened reflection of his actions. Instead, his weakened legs folded beneath him. Garmadon fell to his knees.

 _All those years inside Kryptarium. You grew acceptant. You did nothing._ Garmadon was surprised to hear his own voice hissing in his mind, and not The Overlord's. _You could have worked with your brother. But your silly grudge kept you from opening up._

 _You lost everything. Your son. Your wife. And what did you do about it?_

 _This world would have been better off without you._

Garmadon's mind rushed back to the moment things had fallen apart. The Overlord's power followed him to the memory.

 _"You've never even given me a chance!" Garmadon shouted at a man's back. His father. "Why is Wu getting everything? I could do things better than he ever would."_

 _"You will still help your brother. You can work together." His father's voice was calm. Always so, frustratingly calm. Garmadon despised it_

 _"No. ECHO is supposed to be_ mine _." Garmadon flinched at how childlike his words sounded, but he refused to take them back. He whirled around and ran._

The memory halted when he arrived at his father's old office. Garmadon felt The Overlord's presence slither away.

"Not much of a challenge." The Overlord scowled.

He began to walk past Garmadon, more confident now, in his success. The radio fizzled to life. The Overlord stopped, frowning down at it. _All set here, Garmadon. You just give us the word._

" _Who is that?"_ The Overlord pouted.

Instead of responding, Garmadon's hand shot up, gripping Lloyd's hand. He slipped the metal bracelet into his son's thin wrist.

"A lot of this is my fault, I'll agree, but as long as there's something I can do to help my son, I'm not throwing in the towel." Garmadon reached for the small radio Ronin had given him. "You guys are good to go. Let's end this."

* * *

 _Let's end this._

Garmadon's voice resounded clearly around the old office. With a nod, they all raised their weapons, aiming them at the old, half-forgotten CPU. A connection sparked as they aimed, each line of energy shining with a different color.

Jay's eyes flickered over to Cole. His friend had a determined expression on his face. That, and he'd begun to flicker in and out of existence. Cole _had_ been right. By destroying The Overlord, he was destroying himself.

Well. Not if Jay could help it.

He took a step toward his friend, careful not to break the connection between his weapon and the aged machine.

Jay slipped his hand into his pocket, feeling for the bracelet. _His_ bracelet. The real one, not the fake version he'd built to trick Garmadon. He tried not to feel too guilty. Lloyd would probably be just fine. Cole, on the other hand. . .

Jay was not going to let him fade.

* * *

Something wasn't right.

Lloyd fell back. Garmadon caught him, holding his shivering body close. The darkness around them shuddered, growing larger then shrinking into itself at a steady rhythm.

"Lloyd?" Garmadon asked. Lloyd didn't respond. His eyes were now shut, but there was movement beneath his eyelids. Garmadon's eyes moved to the bracelet, to the thing that was supposed to keep his son safe. It was slipping, doing nothing to prevent anything.

Garmadon nudged it further up Lloyd's arm. It made no difference at all.

* * *

"Isn't that-"

Jay didn't let Cole finish the question. He put the bracelet around his friend's wrist. Instantly, Cole's body returned to itself.

" _Jay._ " Cole shook his head, but with one hand still in the weapon, he could not remove the bracelet. "This was supposed to be for Lloyd. Why did you-"

" _Someone_ had to make the selfish decision for you." Jay shouted back, over the sound of crackling energy. "I don't regret it, either."

Before Cole could protest further, the machine before them broke apart.

* * *

Lloyd didn't know where he was.

Maybe he wasn't anywhere. It _felt_ like he wasn't anywhere. He could see his own body, but apart from that, everything was shrouded in darkness.

The darkness itself didn't feel bad, at the very least. Its presence was somehow soothing, and Lloyd felt safer than he had in a long, _long_ time. Which was good. He'd had more than enough of being in danger.

He took a couple of steps forward. The sound of his footsteps seemed familiar. Maybe he _was_ somewhere after all.

"Darkley's?" Lloyd asked himself. The empty space sounded very much like the attic where everything had wound up falling downhill. Where The Overlord had shown the extent of its abilities for the very first time.

The moment that thought entered Lloyd's mind, the world around him defined itself. It _was_ the attic. Sunlight drifted in through the sole window, giving the place a soothing feeling of warmth. A man sat by the window, his features shrouded in shadows that seemed to come from nowhere in particular.

"Oh. Hello?" Lloyd asked, frowning at the figure. "Who are you?"

"Ah, you would not recognize me, would you? I believe we did not quite have the chance to meet."

Lloyd frowned at the answer that was no answer at all. It reminded him too much of The Overlord's own dismissive responses.

"Well, to put it simply, I'm your grandfather." The man turned to face him. His features seemed both familiar, and not. "And I'm here to ask a very big favor of you."

"Oh. Well. Okay?"

"You did very well at dealing with The Overlord. I have to say, I'm extremely proud."

"Why?" Lloyd frowned. "He won. In the end. I couldn't do anything about it."

"Truly?" His grandfather seemed to find Lloyd's statement funny. "You kept him in check for as long as you could. You inspired the others to rise up and fight. You gave your father the strength he needed to keep going. You did much more than you think Lloyd."

Lloyd couldn't say he agreed. Sure, he'd brought the others together, but they had still been the ones to end what his weakness had started. If it _had_ ended at all. "Wait. Is it over? Is The Overlord gone? Is everyone okay? Why am I here?"

"So many questions. And I don't quite have time to answer them all. So I will stick to what is important." His grandfather looked back out the window. "The Overlord has left your body, yes. You are free. But he is not gone for good. You see, Lloyd, light and darkness will always co-exist. The Overlord will never truly leave. Not as long as there are those who lean into the more negative aspects of humanity.

"That's where the favor I want to ask of you comes in."

Lloyd waited.

"I need you to do your best to fight against people's darkness. It is a never ending battle, but you are more than familiar with that concept, aren't you?"

Lloyd nodded. Having The Overlord inside his mind had teached him what it was to constantly fight back.

"You must make sure to give the people of Ninjago hope. You have a very powerful light inside of you, Lloyd. You must share it with others, and never let it fade. In that way, The Overlord will never be able to fully return."

Lloyd didn't know if he really understood, but either way, he nodded.

"I know you will do good." The room around them began to fade again. "Never forget, you are far more powerful than you realize."

"I won't." Lloyd spoke up at last. His voice sounded different to him, somehow. Deeper. Older? Before Lloyd could come up with a proper answer, he was pulled back into a gentle darkness.


	30. Chapter 30

**This story has been _such_ a journey to write. I've had my ups and my downs, but in the end, I had a lot of fun. I want to thank everyone that read it, and kept up with me, I hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I did. And thank you to everyone that reviewed! You can bet I smiled like a goof every time I read all you guys' thoughts.**

 **Hope you enjoy the end, and see you all in the next fic!**

Chapter 30

Kai looked around the empty shop.

"We did it. Mom! Dad! Guess who is _back!_ " His words echoed in the space, and Kai smiled, a rush of victory and accomplishment shuddering through him.

"We did it," Kai said again, except this time the words were no more than a whisper.

Although it had always been his and Nya's plan to get the shop back, it had all seemed so impossible. So surreal. A dream that would push them forward when nothing else could, but a dream nonetheless.

It all had felt even _further_ from reality after The Overlord had been thrown into the mix. And yet, it was thanks to that whole mess that he stood here now.

After everything had come to an end, Wu had felt terribly responsible, and had decided to reward them all as best as he could. The shop was the only thing Kai and Nya wanted. It had taken a couple of months for Chen to begrudgingly sell it, but now it was here, and it was theirs.

Kai sat on the shop's floor, mind slipping into the past. He remembered his dad, attempting to teach him how things worked. Remembered his mom, always with a story to share. Remembered running around with Nya, playing games that would ultimately end in arguments.

He wished his sister could have been here, but Nya was hard at work in ECHO, helping Zane with something or other. Wu had offered the android a job at the company. Suggested he bring to life all Dr. Julien had left behind. Zane had accepted eagerly.

Jay was offered the same, but he'd turned it down, still feeling terribly guilty about what had happened to Lloyd. Instead he was spending his time figuring out a way to bring Garmadon back out of Kryptarium.

Because of _course_ he'd been throw back in. Now that Kai knew about his innocence, it infuriated him to no avail to know that everyone still blamed him for everything. If anyone stopped to consider all the facts, they would see that Garmadon being behind everything simply didn't make sense.

But no one stopped to think. They all just wanted someone to blame.

For a brief moment, Kai wondered about himself and his part in Ninjago. Now that they had the shop back, they could start an honest life, making money _without_ helping the less savory people their city had to offer. But would he want to do that forever?

He wasn't sure. What he _was_ sure about, was that he really didn't have to figure it all out just yet. For now, the shop was theirs, and that's all that mattered.

Kai pulled out his phone. He then took a picture of himself, using the empty shop as the background, and making sure to have an obnoxiously excited expression.

He sent it to his sister.

* * *

Nya's phone buzzed.

She jumped at it, eager for any sort of distraction. She rolled her eyes at the picture, but couldn't help but feel giddy at the prospect of having the shop back. She wanted to run there right this minute, but it would have to wait.

"Good news?" Zane asked, reading the expression on her face.

Nya nodded. "We _officially_ got back our parent's shop. Kai's there right now."

"Would you like to go?"

"Of course," Nya said, turning back to her notes and putting down her phone. "But we need to figure this out. We're so close. Borg says he's already built the body. We just need to find a way to bring her into it. . . but she's _everywhere_."

 _Indeed. And I believe it is impolite to speak of one as if they could not hear._ Pixal's voice filled the room. Nya smiled at the ceiling, for lack of anywhere else to direct her attention.

"Sorry, Pix."

"Yes. Apologies."

 _Pushing yourself will not yield results. Taking a break is often beneficial._

"I know." Nya pouted. "But it can't be _that_ hard. I mean. . . we've been at this for what feels like centuries. Why can't we figure it out?"

 _Because you keep pushing yourself?_

"I believe Pixal might be right. Though I quite agree with your frustrations. I did not think it would be so difficult."

The room fell into silence. Nya tapped a pencil against her notes, her head half pounding with numbers and impossible equations. She was a mechanic. She was good at fixing, real, _physical_ things. Not. . . whatever this mess was. When she finished helping Pixal, she never wanted to see a number again in her life.

Zane was terribly upset at himself. He had taken Wu's generous offer of working inside ECHO. He had believed his extensive knowledge and intelligence would be more than enough to get through anything. But intelligence was _not_ experience, and when put on the spot, Zane found he had absolutely no clue what he was doing.

Borg would have loved to help. Would have probably succeeded too, if given the chance, but with everything that had occurred, he was too busy running around getting things back on their feet. He'd barely had enough time to build a body for Pixal. Asking him to solve this for them was out of the question.

Zane and Nya pretended to think for a moment longer, but they both knew an answer was not going to come. With a blink that was amazingly in sync, they both fell into the same answer. Borg was _not_ the only one who could help.

"Jay!"

* * *

"Help? Yes! I'd love to-" Jay's words died in his throat, as a glance from his best friend reminded him of the task at hand. "I'd love to, but. . . Can't. I mean, not right now. But later, definitely. Pixal saved us more than once. She deserves to come back."

 _Any luck with Garmadon's case yet?_

"Some." Jay shrugged, struggling to stifle back a yawn. "See you later?"

 _See you._

Jay ended the call, then laid his head upon the table. Littered throughout it, were papers that delved deep into Ninjago's justice system, and detailed scribbles of anything that could prove The Overlord's existence. Still, nothing had been enough to free Garmadon.

"You don't have to help you know," Jay said, restarting the same argument for what must have been the hundredth time. "Go outside and . . . I don't know! Do _something_. Aren't you bored? I'm bored."  
"If I go anywhere, who's going to make sure you do what you're supposed to?" Cole joked, nudging Jay until he straightened back up. His eyes then drifted over the bracelet that quite literally, held him together. "Besides. I still feel guilty about. . . You know."

"You don't get to feel guilty! Stop that! It was all on _me_. What were you going to do, read my mind and stop me? Well even if you _had_ I was beyond determined to keep you alive so it would have been useless. Please don't feel guilty." Jay shifted his attention back toward the papers beneath him. "We'll fix this. Then Garmadon will be so happy, he'll have no time to be mad about what happened to Lloyd."

"Hopefully." Cole shook his head. "If Harumi were still here. . . She'd come up with the proof we need."

"Probably. But maybe we should be glad she isn't. According to Ronin, she _did_ try to blow us all up."

"She had her reasons. Not very. . . reasonable ones but. . ." Cole grimaced, quite at a loss for something positive to say. After Garmadon and Ronin had shared the girl's story, Cole couldn't help but feel bad.

"You're too nice, stop that. She was crazy, and we're lucky Ronin was able to stop her. She _would_ be useful though, I'll agree to that. Her parents were all over The Overlord's existence. If we could have gotten their notes. . ."

Jay shook his head. No point in imagining how easy things could have been.

They stayed in the library until late. When Cole finally said they should wrap up, the sky had darkened and few people were roaming the streets. As usual, Jay felt the absence of his abilities. The city was pulsing with life an energy. And he could feel none of it.

"I'm driving!" Cole announced, trotting past Jay, snatching up the keys to his small car as he did so.

"It's _my_ car!" Jay protested.

"Yeah, but I also used to be a ghost. You can't say no to me."

"Oh I can," Jay said, leaping forward to retrieve his keys. Cole, however, held them just out of reach. With a huff, Jay stopped trying to hop up and grab them. "Fine, you can drive."

Cole smiled, and Jay pouted. As they opened the door to the car, they froze. Jay looked up to Cole. "Is that . . ?"

"I think so." Cole looked around, wondering what, exactly, was hidden in the shadows around them. When the darkness revealed nothing, he looked back into the car.

Sitting placidly atop the driver's seat, was a torn notebook, innocently holding everything they needed to help Garmadon.

* * *

Garmadon was not very surprised to be back in Kryptarium.

He _was_ surprised, however, at everything else that had happened to him. Starting with the moment a nervous looking kid and his seemingly imaginary friend had burst open the door to his cell. After that, Garmadon was thrown into one unlikely situation, to the next.

Fighting an old friend. Fighting his own brother. Fighting his _son_.

Finding out a child he'd spoken to years before had grown so terribly obsessed with him, she'd built a group whose sole purpose was serving him. Then, realizing how truly deep said obsession was, when she had threatened to destroy everything if only to have his attention to herself.

Then, it had all come back around, ending with the very person that had initially freed him, betraying him at the worst moment.

Regardless, Garmadon couldn't bring himself to be as angry at Jay as he wanted to be. The decision had been selfish, and the consequences still plagued him, but Jay had only been looking out for his friend. If Garmadon had known the bracelet could have saved Cole's life, he would have still taken it for his own, in order to save Lloyd.

They all had their own priorities.

A set of familiar footsteps approached his door. For a moment, Garmadon felt as if nothing had changed at all. He'd never left, and his brother was only here for the routine visits, in which nothing productive would happen at all.

Then, Wu opened the door, and his expression reminded Garmadon that things _were_ different.

His brother looked excited, without the trace of pity that he usually had in his eye. Using only his eyebrows, Garmadon question Wu's attitude.

"I have very good news," Wu said, which answered nothing.

Garmadon rolled his eyes, sitting up on his bed. "That much I could tell."

Wu waved a paper in front of Garmadon's eyes. The letters were too far and too blurry for him to read, but the seal stamped at the bottom told him it was a very important document. He looked back toward his brother, who still held a dumb smile on his face.

"As of now, you are officially no longer a prisoner in Kryptarium."

Garmadon blinked. He'd expected his brother to share some idiotic fact about ECHO's success. Or some funny story he thought Garmadon would enjoy. Not. . . something as big as freedom. "You're being serious?"

"I wouldn't joke about something like that," Wu said, honestly. "You'll have to stay here for a couple of hours while all the paperwork is filed, but after that, you're free to go."

Free. The word didn't really seem real. Yet, it was. Possibilities Garmadon hadn't allowed himself to think on unfolded before him, and for the first time in quite a while, he did not know what would come next. He gave his brother a wide smile. "Well, what happened?"

"Jay was finally able to pull a proper case for you. With some of ECHO's lawyers, we made it. All thanks to a crucial piece of evidence. An old notebook, belonging to some of ECHO's former scientists. Jay says you would know what it meant?"

Harumi. The child had gone into hiding after her plans had fallen apart. And still, she pulled strings from the shadows. Garmadon shook his head. " _Free_."

"Free indeed." Wu patted his shoulder. "I'd suggest to get ready. I've already called the others. They'll be here to pick you up."

Garmadon nodded. With one finally smile, Wu left him alone.

The room around him seemed a little brighter. Garmadon stood, collecting the only thing of value he had. Lloyd's letters.

"You're free." Garmadon told himself. " _Free_."

He turned to see his reflection in the small window of his cell's door. Garmadon gave himself a smile.

* * *

Lloyd stared down at the small mirror clutched in his hand.

It had become a habit to do so. He stared at his features intently, willing himself to get used to the stranger that stared back at him.

Ripping The Overlord away from his mind had been jarring in more ways than one. It had left him weak. It had left him exhausted. And there was, of course, the bizarre side effect of having grown _older._

It was a lot to get used to. Overwhelming, in fact. Lloyd smiled and reassured everyone around him that things were going well. He felt like he had to. He'd caused enough trouble as it was.

In reality though, things were difficult. He was no longer a child. And he no longer had a constant companion inside his head.

Lloyd knew The Overlord had never cared for him. Any word of reassurance or support that he had muttered had been nothing more than manipulation. Still, Lloyd found himself missing the voice. He had always felt like an outcast, but at the very least, he always had someone to talk to. Now he was more alone than ever.

"Lloyd, sweetie, are you ready to go?"

Lloyd's head snapped up, and he tossed the mirror aside.

"Yes ma'am." Lloyd stood, smiling at Jay's mom. She and Jay's dad had been kind enough to take care of him, while all the problems with his father were sorted out. His mother had offered to let him stay with her. . . But Lloyd had been stubbornly against the idea.

"I told you to call me Edna, sweetie." Edna shook her head, shifting Lloyd's hair until she was satisfied.

"So. . . where are we going again? Jay forgot to tell me."

"I didn't forget!" Jay half-shouted as he hopped into view. "It's a surprise!"

"A. . . surprise?" Lloyd questioned, trying think _why_ he could be receiving such a thing. He didn't think today was anything special. "Why?"

"Just, come on. Everyone's waiting."

"Everyone?"

Neither Edna nor Jay gave him any answers. Lloyd had no choice but to follow them forward blindly. At the entrance of the junkyard that served as their home, Lloyd got his answer. It was, indeed, everyone.

Kai, Nya, Cole, Zane, and even Dareth. They greeted him with a smile. Lloyd sheepishly returned it.

As they moved toward Jay's car, which they all miraculously fit in, Kai moved closer toward Lloyd. "How are things?"

"They're good," Lloyd said, far too quickly for it to be a legitimate answer. "Still getting used to. . . everything but, Ed and Edna are the nicest people I've ever met. And Jay's always kept me from getting bored. What about you? I heard you got your shop back."

"Yes, _finally_." Kai smiled, then rambled on as he explained all the plans he and Nya had for the future. Lloyd listened, although his mind did begin to wonder off every so often. What about _his_ future? Where could he go? He could clearly not return to boarding school. How could he explain his sudden leap in age?

He couldn't stay with Jay forever, either. Lloyd supposed he could give his mother a chance, but he knew next to nothing about her. If he were honest with himself, we was very angry she'd never bothered to know anything about _him_. But what did that leave him with?

The roads they traveled began to look familiar. Soon enough, Lloyd realized where they were heading. Kryptarium.

A subtle bubble of hope began to grow inside him. Lloyd tried not to let it show. Surely, they were only there for a visit, nothing more.

As the guards waved them inside the parking lot with a smile, Lloyd could hardly hold himself still. He looked around at the others. Kai had stopped talking, and was smiling mischievously at him. As Jay parked the small car, he turned to Lloyd with the same expression.

"Um. So, a visit?" Lloyd asked, softly. "That's a good surprise. Thanks."

"A _visit_." Jay scowled. "Come on, Lloyd. Think a little harder. And let's get out of the car, I'm suffocating in here."

"I _told_ you we needed a bigger car," Cole scolded, as they all stepped out into the parking lot.

"And _I_ told _you_ your input is never appreciated."

"Next time, we're doing what Cole says," Nya said, rubbing her arms.

They continued to bicker and joke back and forth. Lloyd watched and listened, feeling as alienated as usual. They made a good team. A team Lloyd didn't know if he quite fit in with.

Dareth nudged his shoulder, bringing Lloyd out of his self-made pity party. He looked up at the man as he spoke. "They did a lot for you, you know."

"I mean. . ." Lloyd shrugged. "It's not like I gave them much of a choice."

"Everyone _always_ has a choice. Trust me. I've been in all walks of life. I've seen all there is to see." Dareth placed his hands on his hips, smiling at the distance. "They're your friends. Don't put boundaries on yourself. Being a lone wolf is _not_ as cool as it seems."

Lloyd didn't know how to respond. He wanted to protest, but he didn't really have an argument. So instead, he followed Dareth's line of sight.

Everything melted away. Lloyd was a lost ten year old all over again, finally coming across the one thing he wanted the most.

"Dad?"

Garmadon walked toward them, a small bag slung over his shoulder. He gave a mocking good-bye wave to the officers behind him. Lloyd looked at the others, still not quite daring to hope. "Is he. . . ?"

"Free?" Jay smiled.

Lloyd nodded.

"You know it." Kai answered, giving him a soft push forward. "Go, kid."

Still half dazed, Lloyd began to move. Ultimately, he broken into a run. He was mildly aware of Zane asking, _Wait, how will we all fit on the return trip? ,_ and Cole slyly suggesting they tape Jay to the roof of the car. Then he couldn't hear anything at all, could only feel the weight of everything _finally_ falling away.

His dad pulled him into a tight embrace. Lloyd returned the gesture with a smile.

He still didn't really know what his future held. But right here, in this moment, he knew things would be okay.


End file.
